China’s teenage swimming sensation Yu Zidi completed a memorable Asian Games debut by winning the women’s 200m butterfly gold with a new Games record in Japan on Sunday.The 13-year-old, who turns 14 next month, clocked 2:05.08 to break the Asian Games record set by China’s Zhang Yufei at the Hangzhou Games three years ago. Zhang had won the event in 2:05.57, and Yu finished nearly half a second quicker.Yu crossed the finish line 3.36 seconds ahead of fellow Chinese swimmer Chang Mohan, who took silver.The victory gave Yu her first major individual gold medal and came in the first of the three individual events she is scheduled to compete in at the Asian Games, where the swimming competitiona are being held in Tokyo.
Youngest medallist in World Championships swimming history
Yu announced herself on the world stage last year when she became the youngest medallist in World Championships swimming history. At the age of 12, she won bronze as part of China’s 4x200m freestyle relay team.
China’s Yu Zidi in action during the Women’s 200m Butterfly Heat 2
She also finished fourth in three individual events at the World Championships, narrowly missing out on medals.This year, Yu has continued her rise, including a win over American Olympic champion Regan Smith in March.The schoolgirl, known for her pixie haircut, is expected to be among the contenders at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.Despite her success, Yu has spoken about the pressure that comes with competing at such a young age.Ahead of last year’s China National Games, she said the pressure of trying to win the 400m individual medley almost became too much.Her coach encouraged her to keep going and “believe in yourself”, she said, as quoted by AFP.Yu went on to win four medals at the National Games.Her rapid rise has also sparked discussion within swimming over the mental and physical demands of elite-level training and competition at such a young age.Under World Aquatics rules, the minimum age for international championships is 14, although exceptions can be made for younger swimmers if they meet the qualifying standard.
