Yuan Qiqi competes in a relay event prior to the 2016 Rio Olympics. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Yuan Qiqi, an athlete from the city of Zhangjiagang in Jiangsu province, took part in the women's 100 meter sprint preliminaries at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games on Aug 13, crossing the line in 11.56.

Ranking sixth in heat eight and 39th among all 64 runners, Yuan did not qualify for the semi-finals. She will compete in the following women's 4x100 meters relay race on Aug 18 with her teammates.

Yuan was born in 1995 and brought up in Zhangjiagang. She entered Zhangjiagang Juvenile Sports School at the age of 11 and was selected as a member of the track and field team at Suzhou Sports School in 2010.

The young sprinter won first prize in the women's 100 meters race at the 2015 National Track and Field Championships which was held at the bird's nest stadium in Beijing.

"She trained so hard every day that the efforts finally paid off as she managed to make her way to the Olympic Games," said Xu Jie, Yuan's former teacher in Zhangjiagang Juvenile Sports School. "We are really proud of her. Though she did not pass the first round, we are still standing here and cheering for her."