{{Short description|Chinese racewalker (born 1964)}} {{MedalTableTop|sport= Women's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]|country_code=CHN|medals= {{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Race Walking Cup]]}} {{Medal|Gold |[[1983 IAAF World Race Walking Cup|1983 Bergen]]|10 km walk}} {{Medal|Comp|[[Asian Games]]}} {{Medal|Silver|[[Athletics at the 1986 Asian Games|1986 Seoul]]|10 km walk}} }} '''Xu Yongjiu''' ({{zh|徐永久}}; born 29 October 1964) is a Chinese former [[racewalking]] athlete. She was Asia's first world champion in the sport.

From the Chinese province of [[Liaoning]],<ref name="GOV">{{Cite web |title=Sports and Health |url=http://www.gov.cn/english/2005-10/31/content_87650.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061113/http://www.gov.cn/english/2005-10/31/content_87650.htm |archive-date=2016-03-04 |access-date=2025-12-04 |website=www.gov.cn |url-status=dead }}</ref> Xu trained at the Hebei Xinglong National Athletic Training Base.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wayback Machine |url=http://www.hksi.org.hk/hksdb/html/pdf/stbmc/eng/p-181-183(eng).pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045504/http://www.hksi.org.hk/hksdb/html/pdf/stbmc/eng/p-181-183(eng).pdf |archive-date=2016-03-04 |access-date=2025-12-04 |website=www.hksi.org.hk |url-status=dead }}</ref>

She had the greatest season of her career in 1983. On her international debut at the [[1983 IAAF World Race Walking Cup]] she came away with the gold medal, also leading China's women to a team victory.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World and Continental Race Walking Championships and Cups |url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/walk.htm |access-date=2025-12-04 |website=www.gbrathletics.com}}</ref> This made her Asia's first ever world champion in racewalking.<ref name=GOV/> Her winning time of 45:14 minutes was the fastest for the [[10 kilometres race walk]] that year.<ref name="WL">{{Cite web |title=World Top Performers 1980-2005: Women (Outdoor) |url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/tp/worw.htm |access-date=2025-12-04 |website=www.gbrathletics.com}}</ref> She claimed the first ever women's walk title at the [[National Games of China]] later that year, beating all national opposition in 49:04 minutes.<ref>[http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/chn.htm Chinese Championships and Games]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-07-21.</ref>

Xu attempted a title defence at the [[1985 IAAF World Race Walking Cup]], but lost out in a close affair in fifth place, ten seconds behind the winner. She was again part of the gold medal-winning team as the Chinese women were led by the top two finishers [[Yan Hong (racewalker)|Yan Hong]] and [[Guan Ping (racewalker)|Guan Ping]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=2012 |title=2012 Saransk Event History – Facts & Figures |url=http://dt9guucc6nuua.cloudfront.net/competitioninfo/eb5a25b5-f093-4f02-9869-3a5c496df204.pdf |access-date=2025-12-04 |website=IAAF (archived)}}</ref>On time she ranked third globally that year, with 44:45 minutes, behind only her countrywomen Yan and Guan.<ref name=WL/> 44:45A women's walking event was added for the first time to the continental programme at the [[Athletics at the 1986 Asian Games|1986 Asian Games]] and the Chinese women were dominant, with Guan winning the race and Xu in second place ten seconds in arrears.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Asian Games |url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/asg.htm |access-date=2025-12-04 |website=www.gbrathletics.com}}</ref>

Her final appearance at global level came at the [[1987 IAAF World Race Walking Cup]], but this was among the worst results for her country at the competition, as the trio of Xu, Yan and Guan were all disqualified for foot lifting, leaving the national team down in an historic low of ninth place.<ref name=":0" />

After her retirement she remarked upon the extreme pressures she had gone through to reach the heights of the sport: "Several times I fainted on the training grounds. I will never forget that moment so painful that one can no longer feel pain." Academic Susan Brownell placed Xu's suffering within a wider context of the theme of self-sacrifice in Chinese [[women's sports]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Murray |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vh_Q2yB-XDAC&dq=xu+yongjiu+athletics&pg=PA239 |title=The Nation/state and Its Sexual Dissidents |last2=Handler |first2=Richard |date=1996 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-2-88449-242-3 |language=en}}</ref>

==International competitions== {| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}} |- |rowspan=2|1983 |rowspan=2|[[1983 IAAF World Race Walking Cup|World Race Walking Cup]] |rowspan=2|[[Bergen]], Norway |bgcolor=gold|1st |10&nbsp;km walk |45:14 |- |bgcolor=gold|1st |Team |132 pts |- |rowspan=2|1985 |rowspan=2|[[1985 IAAF World Race Walking Cup|World Race Walking Cup]] |rowspan=2|[[St. John's, Isle of Man]] |5th |10&nbsp;km walk |46:32 |- |bgcolor=gold|1st |Team |104 pts |- |1986 |[[Athletics at the 1986 Asian Games|Asian Games]] |[[Seoul]], South Korea |bgcolor=silver|2nd |10&nbsp;km walk |49:50 |- |1987 |[[1987 IAAF World Race Walking Cup|World Race Walking Cup]] |[[New York City]], United States | — |10&nbsp;km walk |{{AthAbbr|DQ}} |}

==References== {{reflist}}

{{Footer IAAF World Walking Cup Women}} {{Footer WBYP Race Walk Women}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Xu, Yongjiu}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1964 births]] [[Category:Athletes from Liaoning]] [[Category:Chinese women race walkers]] [[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1986 Asian Games]] [[Category:Asian Games silver medalists for China]] [[Category:Medalists at the 1986 Asian Games]] [[Category:World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships winners]] [[Category:Asian Games silver medalists in athletics (track and field)]]