She is the first Asian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in women's javelin throw.

[1] Born in Muping County, Yantai, Shandong Province,[2] Liu competed in track and field as a teenager and came to prominence nationally with a win at the Chinese City Games.

[5] She had won a gold medal herself at the 2012 Asian Junior Athletics Championships a month earlier.

[9][10] She established herself internationally with a win at the 2015 Asian Athletics Championships, taking the gold medal for China in a championship record of 61.33 m (201 ft 2 in) (beating the mark set by her compatriot Li Lingwei in 2013).

[12] On 23 September 2021, she won the gold medal in women's javelin throw at the 2021 National Games of China in Shaanxi with 64.33 metres.