Chinese swimming prodigy Yu Zidi sent shockwaves through the swimming world again with a blistering Asian record time at China’s National Games in Shenzhen.
Yu, who turned 13 in October, swam an impressive 2:07:41 to claim gold in the women’s 200 metre individual medley on Tuesday.
The schoolgirl from northern Hebei province beat the 2:07:57 her compatriot Ye Shiwen swam at the 2012 London Olympics, months before Yu was even born.
Yu’s time, met with huge cheers and gaping jaws from shocked spectators in Shenzhen, was the ninth fastest of all time.
It also made her the second fastest woman this year globally, behind only Canada’s world record holder Summer McIntosh.
She knocked nearly two seconds off her previous personal best time, set in Singapore in July.
Yu burst onto the world scene in Singapore by becoming the youngest swimmer in history to win a medal at the World Aquatic Championships, taking bronze as part of China’s 4x200m freestyle relay team.
She also finished fourth in each of her three individual events — the 400m medley, 200m butterfly, and 200m medley.
She is shaping as a major threat in future international competitions, including at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028, if her times continue to progress.
Yu, who trains in Hebei and juggles swimming with her school work, took up the sport when she was six as a means of escaping China’s searing summer heat.
She first came to national attention last year and drew comparisons at home to Ye Shiwen, who at 16 became the youngest Chinese swimmer to win an
Olympic medal when she triumphed in London.
“I’m very happy, very excited. I really didn’t expect I would achieve such a good result,” Yu told state broadcaster CCTV after Tuesday’s win.
Yu’s success generated huge attention in China, where she is already a star.
A hashtag related to her victory and new Asian record had garnered 11 million views on the social media platform Weibo by Wednesday afternoon.
However, she said she had “no feelings” about how to deal with the attention she gets from the public.
“Just doing my best is ok, and training hard,” she told CCTV.
Yu is due to swim the 400m medley on Monday, an event she won at China’s national swimming championships in May.
China’s Sun Yang has no plans of slowing down after comeback from doping ban
Formerly banned Chinese swimmer Sun Yang said he has no plans to retire and is driven by the desire to push his limits after finishing sixth in the men’s 400m freestyle at China’s National Games in Shenzhen and sliding into Wednesday’s 200m final.
Three-times Olympic champion Sun, who turns 34 next month, was banned from competing for four years and three months for a dope test violation in 2018 in which he and members of his entourage smashed vials containing blood samples.
The ban, reduced from the original eight years on appeal, expired in May 2024, though Sun missed national trials for the Paris Games due to the suspension.
Sun, who represents Zhejiang province, said he has no plans to retire any time soon. He sits eighth heading into the final after an impressive semi-final swim of 1:48.30, trailing 18-year-old leader Zhang Zhanshuo by 1.41 seconds.
Sun previously won the men’s 400m freestyle title last year at the National Summer Swimming Championships in Hefei after returning from the four-year ban.
“Every race is the best test of my current form,” Sun told Chinese media.
“There’s no regret. Once a race is over, tomorrow is a new beginning. No matter if it’s young athletes or our older generation, I believe we can all move forward and go further.”
“My persistence represents the final line of defence for my generation of athletes. I hope everyone will continue to look forward to a better, more complete version of Sun Yang in the pool.”
“When I was young, I wanted to win China’s first men’s swimming gold medal. Now, I want to break another barrier to see how far an older athlete can go.”
Sun clocked 3:49.53 to finish sixth in the 400m freestyle, finishing 6.71 seconds behind leader Zhang, who topped the field in 3:42.82.
