A Young Swimming Sensation Makes Waves at World Championships

Yu Zidi, a Chinese schoolgirl swimmer, has had a remarkable summer, marked by a series of youngest records and a world championships team medal. At just 12 years old, she made a significant impact at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.

Despite not securing any individual gold medals, Yu Zidi became an instant sensation. She qualified for the meet as the youngest participant ever, reached a final as the youngest, and even finished on the podium, also as the youngest.

In her final individual event, the women's 400-meter individual medley, Yu finished fourth with a time of 4 minutes and 33.76 seconds. Summer McIntosh of Canada won gold, while Australia's Jenna Forrester and Japan's Mio Narita shared silver. Due to the rules, no bronze medal was awarded. Yu also narrowly missed the podium in her previous two individual events, finishing just fractions of a second behind the third-place finishers.

However, Yu will leave Singapore with a medal, having been part of China's bronze-winning women's 4x200m freestyle relay team. This relay bronze made her the youngest medalist in the championships' history. She had previously set records by qualifying for the worlds at the Chinese national trials and advancing to an individual final.

Yu also achieved personal bests in all three of her individual events, surpassing the achievements of some of the world's greatest swimmers at the same age. She described her international debut as a great learning experience. She expressed her admiration for Summer McIntosh and her desire to compete again at the next world championships, aiming to stand on the podium.

The emergence of the Chinese prodigy has captured the attention of international rivals. Japanese swimming icon Rikako Ikee acknowledged Yu's talent, noting her potential for the 2028 Olympics. Team China, with strong performances from its female swimmers, secured additional medals, finishing sixth overall in the swimming medal tally.