{"id":4860,"date":"2026-09-21T13:23:33","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T13:23:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=4860"},"modified":"2026-09-21T13:23:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T13:23:33","slug":"who-is-yu-zidi-chinas-13-year-old-swimming-sensation-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=4860","title":{"rendered":"Who is Yu Zidi, China\u2019s 13-year-old swimming sensation? | Sport"},"content":{"rendered":"
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EXPLAINER<\/span><\/p>\n

The teen phenomenon won her second gold medal in the 200m medley in 2:06.10 to set a new Games and Asian record.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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China\u2019s 13-year-old swimming sensation Yu Zidi has smashed her second Asian Games record in as many days, with her time of 2:06.10 in the women\u2019s 200m individual medley doubling as a new Asian record.<\/p>\n

The teen prodigy<\/a> made waves last year when, aged 12, she became the youngest-ever medallist at the World Swimming Championships.<\/p>\n

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Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n

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Tuesday\u2019s win and record saw Zidi cement her status as one of swimming\u2019s greatest teenagers and a dominant force at the ongoing Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan.<\/p>\n

So who is Yu Zidi, and what else can we expect from her? Al Jazeera Sport explains.<\/p>\n

Who is Yu Zidi?<\/h2>\n

The swimming sensation was born in Baoding, China, on October 16, 2012. She was noticed by a swimming coach as a six-year-old when her father took her to a water park to cool off in the summer.<\/p>\n

How has Zidi performed at the Asian Games?<\/h2>\n

Zidi has reclaimed her Asian record in the 200m individual medley (IM) from defending champion and compatriot Yu Yiting, who clocked 2:06.82 in June and finished second on Tuesday with 2:07.99, while Japan\u2019s Narita Mio finished third in 2:10.40.<\/p>\n

The 13-year-old now holds the Asian Games record, the Asian record, and the second-fastest 200m medley of all time \u2013 just 0.40 seconds off the 2:05.70 world record set by Canadian Summer McIntosh, another former teen phenomenon in the sport who Zidi considers her idol.<\/p>\n

Zidi\u2019s gold in the 200m IM adds to her 200m Butterfly win a day earlier, where her 2:05.08 smashed the Games record of 2:05.57 set by compatriot Yufei Zhang at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games.<\/p>\n

Zhang, a multiple-time Olympic, World and Asian Games champion, was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) at Hangzhou 2023 alongside compatriot Qin Haiyan for her record six gold medals. She picked up her first gold at Aichi-Nagoya in the women\u2019s 4x100m Freestyle relay when China stormed to victory in 3:33.10.<\/p>\n

What did she say about her wins?<\/h2>\n

\u201cVery excited, very happy. It\u2019s an achievement that shows the hard work of our team,\u201d said Zidi. \u201cI\u2019m happier with the second gold medal than the first.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added about 21-year-old teammate Yiting: \u201cShe\u2019s a strong opponent who motivates me to improve and work harder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite winning gold on her Asian debut, Zidi said her 200m freestyle performance \u201cwas only so-so\u201d, adding hopes to go faster in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy technique is still slightly lacking. I need to lower my head earlier, reach further forward and improve the movement of my legs. Those are all areas that I need to work on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will Zidi win more medals at the Asian Games?<\/h2>\n

Most likely, yes.\u00a0Zidi can add a third individual gold on Wednesday in the 400m IM.<\/p>\n

The teenager, however, is not listed in China\u2019s roster for the women\u2019s 4x200m Freestyle relay scheduled for Thursday.<\/p>\n

\"China's
Zidi celebrates after winning the final of the women\u2019s 200m individual medley swimming event during the 2026 Asian Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo on September 21, 2026 [AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When did Zidi burst to stardom?<\/h2>\n

Zidi became swimming\u2019s newest prodigy when she won bronze as a 12-year-old as part of China\u2019s 4x200m freestyle relay team at the 2025 World Swimming Championships in Singapore in August.<\/p>\n

She followed up her laurels at the Chinese National Swimming Championships later in the year with two golds, one silver, and an Asian record in the 200m IM.<\/p>\n

Although World Aquatics requires swimmers to be at least 14 years of age, Zidi was allowed to participate after meeting the association\u2019s \u201cA\u201d standard times that she clocked at the Chinese National Swimming Championships in May last year.<\/p>\n

What have other swimming greats said about her?<\/h2>\n

Siobhan Haughey, Hong Kong\u2019s first Olympic medallist in swimming, said Zidi\u2019s dominance in a wider trend in the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the general consensus is we have more and more great young swimmers swimming well,\u201d said Haughey, now a relative veteran at 28.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Summer first started, she was also very young and swimming fast, so I think that\u2019s kind of the trend these days.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, swimming well that young, you can also translate to as you get older and well into your 20s and beyond, so it\u2019s exciting for the swimming world,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Haughey said the evidence suggests that Yu is \u201cdefinitely capable of going to the LA Olympics\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think she\u2019s doing well under pressure at big meets,\u201d she said. \u201cI think if she wants to do it, she definitely can.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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EXPLAINER The teen phenomenon won her second gold medal in the 200m medley in 2:06.10 to set a new Games and Asian record. China\u2019s 13-year-old swimming sensation Yu Zidi has smashed her second Asian Games record in as many days, with her time of 2:06.10 in the women\u2019s 200m individual medley doubling as a new…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4861,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t