Young Chinese Swimmer Breaks Record at Asian Games

China’s 13-year-old swimmer Yu Zidi broke the Asian Games record while winning gold in Japan on Sunday. This comes just two years before the Los Angeles Olympics.

Yu, who will turn 14 next month, finished the women’s 200m butterfly in 2 minutes 05.08 seconds. She beat the previous record set by China’s Zhang Zufei three years ago in Hangzhou, which was 2:05.57.

Her winning time was 3.36 seconds faster than the silver medalist, Chang Mohan from China.

This is the first of three individual events Yu will compete in at the Asian Games. The swimming events are taking place in Tokyo.

Last year, Yu made history as the youngest swimmer to win a medal at the world championships. She won bronze as a 12-year-old as part of China’s 4x200m freestyle relay team.

Yu narrowly missed out on medals, finishing fourth in three individual events at the same championships.

This year, she has built her reputation further, including a notable win against American Olympic champion Regan Smith in March.

The schoolgirl, known for her pixie haircut, is seen as a strong contender for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

But Yu has opened up about the challenges she faces with the pressure of competition. Before the China National Games last year, she said that the stress of wanting to win the 400m medley nearly overwhelmed her.

Her coach encouraged her to keep going and told her to "believe in yourself," she shared.

Yu ended up winning four medals at the National Games.

Some people in the swimming community have raised concerns about how high-level training and competing affect young athletes like Yu.

World Aquatics rules state that swimmers must be at least 14 years old to compete in international championships. However, younger swimmers can qualify if they meet the speed requirements.