Chinese 13-Year-Old Yu Zidi Wins Second Gold Medal in the Pool at Asian Games
The 13-year-old set the fastest time in the world this year and finished just 0.40 seconds off Summer McIntosh’s world record.
- On Wednesday, 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi completed a hat-trick of gold medals at the Asian Games in Tokyo, winning the 400m individual medley in a Games-record 4min 28.56sec.
- Her victory followed earlier gold-medal performances in the 200m butterfly and 200m individual medley, where Yu also established new Games records while dominating the pool since the opening day.
- Clocking 4min 28.56sec, Yu eclipsed the previous 400m Games record set by China's Ye Shiwen in 2014 by approximately 4.5 seconds, marking the fourth-fastest time globally this year.
- Hong Kong Olympic medalist Siobhan Haughey praised Yu's resilience, stating she is "definitely capable of going to the LA Olympics" and handling high-pressure environments at major meets.
- Projections position Yu as a top contender for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where she could face a high-profile showdown with world record-holder Summer McIntosh of Canada.
136 Articles
136 Articles
Chinese prodigy Yu Zidi continues her run at the Asian Championships. The 13-year-old claimed her third straight gold medal when she won the 400-meter individual medley in Nagoya, Japan. Her winning time of 4:28.56 was less than five seconds shy of Canadian Summer McIntosh's world record of 4:23.65.
They break records in the swimming pool and compete against adults on skateboards and video games. “Sports prodigies” not yet even 14 years old have arrived at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. They include China’s swimming representative Yu Zidi, Japan’s e-sports representative Yuki Kurihara, and Indonesia’s skateboarding representative Chaya Mikaila Shanumi.
13-year-old Chinese schoolgirl Yu Zidi closes in on third Asian Games gold
Yu Zidi, the 13-year-old Chinese swimmer, has qualified for the women's 400m individual medley final at the Asian Games. She topped the heats with a time of 4 minutes 39.43 seconds, outperforming Japan's Mio Narita. Yu has already won two gold medals in Tokyo this week, raising expectations for her future. Her remarkable achievements have drawn significant attention in China and beyond.
At just 13 years old, Yu Zidi has already captured the spotlight at the 2026 Asian Games, winning two gold medals and setting a new record.
Schoolgirl Yu, 13, fastest again in bid for third Asian Games gold
China's 13-year-old swimmer Yu Zidi went fastest in the heats as she closes in on a hat-trick of Asian Games golds on Wednesday -- and her team-mates say her stunning success is no longer a surprise.
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