A Chinese track and field sprinter has scored a staggering 462 in the national college entrance exam, or gaokao, earning her a place in the country’s top universities.
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Liu Xiajun, 19, took the gaokao for the second time earlier this month after her score last summer fell short of admission to the country’s best school, Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Liu, who is from the city of Ziyang in southwest China’s Sichuan province, rejected an offer from the prestigious Fudan University in Shanghai in 2024, considered China’s second best, to chase a spot at the institution in Beijing.
“I was very surprised [when I got my results] and asked my teacher: ‘Is there a mistake in the results?’,” Liu said.
“I believe that the most important factor in achieving such results before entering formal education is perseverance.
“Despite the immense pressure of resitting the exam, you cannot think about giving up.
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