Lu Minjia (; born 29 December 1992) is a Chinese track and field athlete who competes in the long jump. She was the 2009 World Youth Champion and set an Asian youth record of that same year. After an Asian Junior title, she was runner-up at the 2011 Asian Athletics Championships. She won gold medals at the 2012 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships and the 2015 Asian Athletics Championships.

Lu represented her country at the Asian Games in 2010 and 2014, and has also represented the Asia-Pacific region at the IAAF Continental Cup (2014). She was the winner of the long jump at the 2009 National Games of China.

Career

Youth and junior career Lu, from the eastern province of Zhejiang, first took up athletics while at primary school and her talent for long jumping was noticed. She continued with the discipline in the region, joining the provincial level athletics club and went on to study at Zhejiang University.. Incheon2014. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.

Lu established herself at national level in 2008 when she won the Chinese Olympic trials event, improving a personal best by a large margin with a jump of . At fifteen, she was the youngest athlete in the field and defeated Asian indoor champion Chen Yaling, but had not performed well enough to earn qualification.Jalava, Mirko (2008-06-27). Chinese Olympic Trials start quietly in rain - Day One. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.OT Suzhou CHN 27 - 29 June. Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2015-06-03. She was the world's number one ranked long jumper in the youth category in 2009 and claimed the gold medal at the 2009 World Youth Championships in Athletics with a jump of .Martin, David (2009-07-12). Williams and James achieve unprecedented doubles as Kenya steals the show in middle distance - Day Five - Evening report. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-06-03. She again defeated Chen in Chinese competition, winning the 2009 Chinese Games title with an Asian youth record mark of .Jalava, Mirko (2009-10-24). 16-year-old wins women's long jump in Jinan – National Games of China, Day 3. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-06-03. In her first senior international competition she performed less well, but still managed a bronze medal at 2009 East Asian Games while Chen was the winner.Krishnan, Ram. Murali (2009-12-11). Liu Xiang and Chinese throwers dominate - East Asian Games, Day 2. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-06-03. She was the second highest ranked Asian woman that year, after Korea's Jung Soon-ok.Long Jump - women - senior - outdoor - 2009. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.

She made her global senior debut at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships, still seventeen years old, and set an indoor best of in qualifying.Minjia Lu. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-06-03. She had her season's best jump of at the 2010 Asian Junior Athletics Championships, where she comfortably won the gold medal. She also shared in the 4×100 metres relay silver medal with Chen Lin, Jiang Shan, and Wu Shuijiao (having been upgraded from bronze after Kazakhstan was disqualified).14th Asian Junior Athletics Championship 2010 1-4 July, Hanoi, Vietnam. Asian Athletics (2010-07-04). Retrieved on 2015-06-03. In her last major performance of the year, she placed sixth at the 2010 Asian Games, clearing which was 17 cm short of Jung Soon-ok's winning result.Women Long Throw Athletics Asian Games 2010 Guangzhou (CHN) - Tuesday 23.11 . Todor66. Retrieved on 2015-06-03. Lu won her first national title at the Chinese Athletics Championships that year.Jalava, Mirko (2010-08-09). National record for Yang Yansheng in men's Pole Vault - Chinese Champs & Asian Games Trials. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.

Asian senior medals At the start of the 2011 indoor season she set an indoor best of to win in Nanjing.Long Jump - women - senior - indoor - 2011. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-06-03. Going into the outdoor season, she was runner-up on countback to Japan's Saeko Okayama at the Golden Grand Prix in Kawasaki.Nakamura, Ken (2011-05-08). Pars defeats Murofushi, Japanese women's 4x100m Relay record falls in Kawasaki - IAAF World Challenge". IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-06-03. Her outdoor best that year came in national competition in Jinan, where she won with a jump of .Long Jump - women - senior - outdoor - 2011. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-06-03. She was close to this at the 2011 Asian Athletics Championships, a mark of being the best of her series, and was ahead of Okayama but beaten into second place by Mayookha Johny.Bahrain takes both 10,000m titles in rainy Kobe - Asian champs, Day 1. IAAF (2011-07-08). Retrieved on 2015-06-03. Afterwards, she defended her national title at the Chinese Championships.Jalava, Mirko (2011-09-11). Women's throws, men's 100m national record highlight the Chinese championships". IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.

She won her first senior title at the 2012 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, beating Kazakhstan's Anastassya Kudinova to the gold.Krishnan, Ram. Murali (2012-02-18). Chinese dominate but there is double-delight for Iran at the Asian Indoor Championships – Day 1 . IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-06-03. Turning to the outdoor track and field circuit, she missed the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix meeting, but made her IAAF Diamond League at the Prefontaine Classic in the United States, finishing tenth. Her best of the year came at the Kanchanaburi leg of the Asian Athletics Grand Prix, at which she jumped to win ahead of India's Johny.Jiang Fan impresses in Kanchanaburi - 2012 Asian Grand Prix, 2nd leg . IAAF (2012-05-12). Retrieved on 2015-06-03. She was herself beaten into second at the following leg in Bangkok by Uzbek Juliya Tarasova.Thanh Hang sets meeting record in Bangkok - 2012 Asian Grand Prix, 1st leg. IAAF (2012-05-09). Retrieved on 2015-06-03. She struggled the following year, failing to register a mark beyond six metres, and lost her title at the 12th National Games of China by ending the contest in eleventh place.Jalava, Mirko (2013-09-11). National Games of China end with exciting Triple Jump contests. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.

Lu returned to action in the 2014 season with her first appearance at the Shanghai Diamond League (coming tenth) and a third-place finish at the IAAF World Challenge Beijing. She was chosen as Asia's representative at the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup, finishing seventh, and placed sixth at the 2014 Asian Games.. Incheon2014. Retrieved on 2015-06-03. With her season's best of she ranked in the top fifty globally that year and was joint best Asian athlete alongside her compatriot Jiang Yanfei.Long Jump - women - senior - outdoor - 2014. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.

Building on her silver from four years earlier, on home soil in Wuhan Lu won the long jump title at the 2015 Asian Athletics Championships by a five-centimetre margin over South Korea's Jung Soon-ok.Four golds for hosts China on first day of Asian Championships. IAAF (2015-06-03). Retrieved on 2015-06-03.

Personal bests Long jump outdoor: (2009) Long jump indoor: (2011) All personal bests from IAAFMinjia Lu. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.

National titles Chinese Athletics Championships Long jump: 2010, 2011 National Games of China Long jump: 2009

International competitions 2009World Youth ChampionshipsBressanone, Italy1stLong jump6.22 mEast Asian GamesHong Kong, China3rdLong jump6.24 m2010World Indoor ChampionshipsDoha, Qatar17th (q)Long jump6.25 mAsian Junior ChampionshipsHanoi, Vietnam1stLong jump6.47 m2nd4 × 100 m relay45.87Asian GamesGuangzhou, China6thLong jump6.36 m2011Asian ChampionshipsKobe, Japan2ndLong jump6.52 m2012Asian Indoor ChampionshipsHangzhou, China1stLong jump6.33 m2014Continental CupMarrakesh, Morocco7thLong jump6.14 mAsian GamesIncheon, South Korea6thLong jump6.28 m2015Asian ChampionshipsWuhan, China1stLong jump6.52World ChampionshipsBeijing, China30th (q)Long jump6.01 m2018Asian GamesJakarta, Indonesia4thLong jump6.50 m2019Asian ChampionshipsDoha, Qatar1stLong jump6.38 m

References

External links

Image of Lu at the 2009 East Asian Games