In the 2026 National Athletics Championships Women's 100m Hurdles held in Zhejiang Province, China, an athlete suddenly raised her hand just before the start, causing an interruption, and then went on to win the re-run race, drawing a flood of criticism on social media. Multiple Chinese media outlets, including Cover News and Southern Metropolis Daily, reported this.

In the final of the same event held on the 16th, Wu Yanni (Wu Yannie), competing as a representative of Sichuan Province, suddenly raised her hand and stood up just before the start, at the moment everyone lifted their hips at the "set" signal, requesting a re-run of the start, citing reasons such as the crowd's cheers not having subsided.

In response to this, Wu was shown a yellow card by the referee, and the start was re-done. In the re-started race, Wu finished first with a time of 13.12 seconds, winning the championship.

Cover News reported favorably about the top athlete Wu, stating, "Even with this small incident, Wu's pace was not disrupted. After starting with the second gun, she already had a significant lead after clearing the first three hurdles. She maintained a stable rhythm thereafter, kept her rivals firmly in check in the final stages, did not allow any comebacks, and won the championship." However, a flood of criticism erupted online.

Specifically, comments included: "It was intentional," "The media says she was affected by the spectators, but other athletes were probably affected by her," "'Wu's pace was not disrupted'? Of course not, she herself engineered it to disrupt the pace of other athletes," "She's truly an attention-seeker," "The moment she raised her hand, I realized, 'Here we go again,'" "Why is she always like this?" and "I admit she's strong, but I can't like her."

Wu, who is called the "Hurdles Goddess" in China and enjoys a certain level of popularity, is also a controversial athlete whose flashy makeup and aggressive behavior during competitions have often sparked debate in the past. When she won the same competition last year, she expressed dissatisfaction with her time, saying, "This first place isn't worth celebrating. I'm not happy." Furthermore, in the final of the Hangzhou Asian Games in October 2023, despite Wu herself having a clear false start, she vehemently protested along with an Indian athlete who was also disqualified due to Wu's influence, and competed in a re-run race (she was ultimately disqualified for the false start in the original race), drawing criticism.