China’s 13-year-old swimming prodigy sets stunning record
At just 13 years old, Chinese swimming sensation Yu Zidi has smashed the Asian Games record in the women’s 200m butterfly.
Touching the wall at 2:05.08 on Monday (AEST), she shaved nearly half a second off the previous mark set by compatriot Zhang Yufei three years ago.
Zidi Yu won gold at the Asian Games. Atsushi Tomura
Yu, who doesn’t turn 14 until October, has placed herself in the box seat as a swimmer the world is watching heading to next year’s world championships in Budapest, Hungary, and the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
She is now just four seconds off Canadian Summer McIntosh’s 200m fly world record at 2:01.65 – proof she is a star on the rise.
Despite the record-breaking swim, she remains relentlessly demanding of herself.
“It was only so-so,” Yu said after receiving her medal, adding that her butterfly technique “is still slightly lacking”.
“I hope I can swim even faster. I improved my time by 0.9 seconds here, and I believe I will perform better next time.
“This is to step onto the podium of the Olympic Games. The top podium. I train hard day after day. Success never arrives overnight. I am very excited and proud.”
Her emergence also highlights the growing momentum of the Chinese Swimming Federation, after former Australian coach Michael Bohl recently joined the ranks.
Bohl previously mentored Olympic stars such as Emma McKeon, Lani Pallister and Kaylee McKeown.
The 2026 Asian Games has also been the centre of attention for a host of logistical problems.
Accommodating more than 11,000 athletes and 6000 officials has stretched organisers to the limit after they decided not to have a traditional athletes’ village to save money.
Competitors instead are staying in a combination of temporary container-style huts, hotels and cruise ship the Costa Serena.
Some athletes were left stranded at the airport when transport failed to turn up and several teams have complained about the quality of the huts, including the beds being too short.
Event organisers also had to issue an apology after it mistakenly played the North Korean anthem in front of South Korean athletes.
