A 12-year-old swimmer from Hebei will compete in the 2025 World Aquatics Championships currently being held in Singapore, multiple outlets report. Yu Zidi is signed up for three events: the 200 metre and 400 metre medleys, and the 200 metre butterfly.
At the Chinese National Championships in May, Yu clocked a time of 2:10.63 in the 200-metre individual medley – an achievement that would have seen her narrowly miss out on a medal at last year’s Paris Olympics.
Her performance placed her just behind two-time Olympic bronze medalist Yu Yiting, a 19-year-old from Zhejiang.
Afterwards, Olympic watersports regulator World Aquatics described the younger Yu as a “sensation” in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Yu Zidi just swam a blazing 2:10.63 in the women’s 200m IM at the Chinese Nationals,” it continued, attaching a video of the young athlete’s race.
[See more: Macao to participate in 19 competitive events at the 15th National Games]
World Aquatics regulations generally require swimmers to be at least 14 years old to compete, unless they post elite-level qualifying times. Yu beat those benchmarks, allowing her to bypass the age threshold.
Yu trains at Hebei Taihua Jinye Swimming Club and has told media that her first swim was at age 6, in an amusement park on a hot summer’s day. “[Then] one day, a coach approached me and asked if I wanted to swim faster,” she said.
She has also noted that she excelled in longer races, not sprints. “My age is currently an advantage and I hope to grow and develop more strength in the future,” she said. Yu will turn 13 in October.
The World Aquatics Championships kicked off 11 July at the OCBC Aquatic Centre in Singapore. They are on until 3 August.
