Chinese runner Wang Chunyu Photo: VCG

China crossed a new hurdle in Olympic history on Saturday after Wang Chunyu, a 26-year-old Chinese runner who stood out in the semifinal of the women's 800 meters, became the first Chinese athlete to ever leap into the final round of the Track and Field event.  

Ranked at the second place in her group, Wang finished the group competition with her personal best of 1 minute and 59.14 seconds, leaving only a slightly minor gap between her and British athlete Keely Hodgkinson, who finished first with 1:59:12. 

As a Chinese athlete, Wang will be the first woman to represent the country in this competition's final round.

"I did it, representing China's middle and long distance running, and even representing in the Asian women's 800 meters. I proved that the yellow race is capable," Wang said during an after-competition interview. 

The results of the competition excited sports fans on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo even though it was not yet the end. Many netizens expressed that Wang's achievement in the semifinals was equivalent to winning a medal for China because she represented the country's presence and competitiveness in a field "dominated" by other countries. In the last recent example, South African middle-distance runner Caster Semenya won at the Rio Games with a time of 1:55.28.

"I did see Chinese' presence in this game, I did see that! It was true… We often don't perform as well in such track and field events, countries such as the US are always more dominant than us," Yao, a student athlete, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

"She reminds me of the potential we all saw in [Chinese track and field athlete] Liu Xiang, the impetus to prove that we can," said a netizen on Sina Weibo. 

"I especially remember what Liu Xiang said, 'Who says we could not make the first eight at the Olympic Games?' I did it today," Wang told media. 

Some netizens said that they didn't care much about the final results in the competition and just wanted to support Wang to see if she can break her own record in this event.  

"Enjoy the finals! Treat it like a game just to prove yourself," posted one netizen on Sina Weibo. 

"The 800 meters is never easy, it requires athletes have both sudden starting power and staying power, and the strategies such as merging into lanes… improving one's record is a tough task, even just for one second or less," Wang Mingxi, an amateur long-distance runner, told the Global Times.  

"I'll still be eighth even if I walk and don't run, but I think I will not be in the eighth place in the finals, I want to fight for a better place!" Wang Chunyu told media.

Outside of the competition field, Wang is a lovely bubbly young woman who plans to give herself a special treat after entering the finals. 

"I saw the Olympic Village has a place for manicures and I thought to myself that I'll go get one if I get into the final," said Wang.