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Yu Zidi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yu Zidi
Personal information
Born (2012-10-16) October 16, 2012 (age 13)
Baoding, Hebei, China
Sport
SportSwimming
ClubHebei Taihua Jinye Swimming Club
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing  China
World Championships (LC)
Bronze medal – third place2025 Singapore4×200 m freestyle
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place2026 Aichi–Nagoya200 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place2026 Aichi–Nagoya200 m medley
Gold medal – first place2026 Aichi–Nagoya400 m medley
Chinese name
Chinese于子迪
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYú Zǐdí
IPA[y̌ tsɹ̩̀tǐ]

Yu Zidi (Chinese: 于子迪; pinyin: Yú Zǐdí, born October 16, 2012) is a Chinese swimmer. She gained worldwide recognition when she was chosen to represent China at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships at 12 years old.

Early life

[edit]

Yu was born in Baoding, Hebei, China, on October 16, 2012. When she was six years old, her father took her to a water park to cool off during the summer. She was noticed by a swim coach, who encouraged her to begin swimming competitively. Three years later, she moved to Hengshui and began training at the Hebei Taihua Jinye Swimming Club.[1]

Yu trains with Li Bingjie everyday, an Olympic medalist who is also from Baoding, Hebei. She considers Li her "idol"[2] and has affectionately compared Li to an "older sister".[3] She also considers Summer McIntosh to be a role model.[4]

Career

[edit]

2024 season

[edit]

In April 2024, at the age of 11, Yu participated in the Chinese National Swimming Championships, aiming to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics. In the 400 m freestyle, Yu produced a time of 4:10.73 in the heats followed by a final mark of 4:12.10 to place 7th in the final.[5] In the 400 m individual medley, she finished with a time of 4:40.97 to win the silver.[5] Her time was just about two seconds away from the qualifying time of 4:38.53.[6]

2025 season

[edit]

In May 2025, at the age of 12, Yu participated in the Chinese National Swimming Championships. In the 200 m individual medley, Yu swam with a time of 2:10.63, winning the silver and easily clearing the World Aquatics "A" standard needed to qualify for the World Championships.[7] She also set the record for the fastest time ever for a 12-year-old in that discipline.[8][9][2] In the 200 m butterfly, Yu delivered a performance of 2:06.83 to win gold and qualify for the World Championships.[10] In the 400 m individual medley, Yu crushed a lifetime best of 4:35.53 to take the gold and easily clear the World Aquatics "A" standard.[11]

Based on her results at the Chinese Nationals, Yu was chosen to participate in the World Championships. While World Aquatics typically requires swimmers to be 14 years old to attend, Yu was eligible because her times met the association's "A" standard.[12] Following this, she attracted worldwide media coverage, including comparisons to young champion swimmers Summer McIntosh (who won gold at the World Championships at 15),[8][2] Katie Ledecky (who won Olympic gold at 15), and Kyoko Iwasaki (who won Olympic gold at 14).[13] She is the second-youngest swimmer to ever appear at the World Aquatics Championships, after Bahrain's Alzain Tareq, who debuted at age 10 at the 2015 edition.[14]

In her first event of the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Yu qualified for the final of the 200 m individual medley.[15][16] She became the youngest swimmer in history to compete in a World Championship final.[17] In the final, she finished in fourth place with a time of 2:09.21, just 0.06 seconds behind bronze medalist Mary-Sophie Harvey of Canada.[12] In the 200 m butterfly, Yu placed fourth as well with a time of 2:06.43, just 0.31 seconds behind Australia's Elizabeth Dekkers. Yu swam in the heats for the Chinese team in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay, helping them qualify to the final. Although she was replaced in the final by Liu Yaxin, she shared in the team's bronze medal win, becoming the youngest swimmer to win a medal at the World Aquatics Championships. The Sydney Morning Herald further identified her as the youngest swimmer to win a global championship medal since 12-year-old Inge Sørensen's bronze in the 200 m breaststroke at the 1936 Summer Olympics.[18] Yu finished in Singapore with a third fourth-place finish in the 400 m individual medley, her time of 4:33.76 just falling half a second outside Jenna Forrester of Australia and Mio Narita of Japan who tied at 4:33.26 for silver.[19]

In November, at the age of 13, Yu competed in the National Games of China in Shenzhen. In the 200 m individual medley, she won the gold medal in a time of 2:07.41, which broke the Asian record of 2:07.57 set by countrywoman Ye Shiwen in 2012.[20][21] In the 200 m butterfly, she finished with a time of 2:06.57 to win silver.[22] In the 400 m individual medley, she clocked 4:34.33 for the gold.[23]

Yu was named the World Junior Female Swimmer of the Year by SwimSwam.[24] Yu was nominated for the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards for World Breakthrough of the Year.[25][26]

2026 season

[edit]

In June 2026, Yu participated in the Chinese National Swimming Championships. In the 200 m butterfly, Yu claimed victory with a time of 2:06.12.[27] In the 200 m individual medley, however, she finished in a time of 2:09.33, more than two and a half seconds behind Yu Yiting who blasted a new Asian Record in the event in 2:06.82.[28] In the 400m individual medley, she won gold with a new lifetime best of 4:30.79.[29]

In September, Yu competed in the Asian Games in Tokyo. In the 200 m butterfly, she won gold with a new lifetime best of 2:05.08, wiping out Olympic champion Zhang Yufei's Asian Games record of 2:05.57 established in 2023.[30][31][32] In the 200 m individual medley, she swam 2:06.10, setting a new Asian Record and World Junior Record.[33] That swim is also the second-fastest swim in the history of the event.[33] In the 400 m medley, she touched in 4:28.56, erasing Olympic champion Ye Shiwen's Asian Games record of 4:32.97 set in 2014.[34]

Personal best times

[edit]

Long course metres (50 m pool)

[edit]
Event Time Meet Location Date Notes Ref
200 m butterfly 2:05.08 2026 Asian Games Tokyo, Japan 20 September 2026
200 m individual medley 2:06.10 2026 Asian Games Tokyo, Japan 21 September 2026 AS, NR, WJR
400 m individual medley 04:28.56 2026 Asian Games Tokyo, Japan 23 September 2026
Legend: WR – World record; AS – Asian record; NR – Chinese record; WJR – World junior record;
Records not set in finals: h – heat; sf – semifinal; r – relay 1st leg; rh – relay heat 1st leg; b – B final; † – en route to final mark; so – swim-off; tt – time trial

Records

[edit]

Long course metres (50 m pool)

[edit]
No. Event Time Meet Location Date Age Type Status Ref
1 200 m individual medley 02:07.41 2025 National Games of China Shenzhen, China 11 November 2025 13 AS, NR Former [20]
2 200 m individual medley (2) 2:06.10 2026 Asian Games Tokyo, Japan 21 September 2026 13 AS, NR, WJR Current [33]
Legend: WR – World record; AS – Asian record; NR – Chinese record; WJR – World junior record;
Records not set in finals: h – heat; sf – semifinal; r – relay 1st leg; rh – relay heat 1st leg; b – B final; † – en route to final mark; so – swim-off; tt – time trial

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Profile | Who is Yu Zidi, the Chinese 12-year-old making waves at World Aquatics Championships?". South China Morning Post. 28 July 2025. Archived from the original on 28 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Who is 12-year-old Yu Zidi? Top facts about the Chinese swimming prodigy". olympics.com.
  3. ↑ Race, Retta (23 May 2025). "12-Yr-Old Yu Zidi Introduces Herself To The World Along With Bonus Training Footage". SwimSwam.
  4. ↑ Race, Retta (16 September 2025). "China's 12-Yr-Old Prodigy Yu Zidi Takes Notes From Summer McIntosh". SwimSwam. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  5. 1 2 Race, Retta. "11-Yr-Old Yu Zidi Clocks 4:40.97 400 IM, 4:10.73 400 Free at Chinese Nationals". SwimSwam. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  6. ↑ Decent, Tom (24 April 2024). "The 11-year-old Chinese swimmer who was two seconds away from the Olympics". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 22 June 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  7. ↑ Race, Retta (18 May 2025). "12-Yr-Old Yu Zidi Crushes 2:10.63 in Women's 200 IM at Chinese Nationals (Video)". SwimSwam. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  8. 1 2 Church, Ben (26 July 2025). "The 12-year-old taking the swimming world by storm". CNN. Archived from the original on 27 July 2025. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  9. ↑ Wade, Stephen (17 July 2025). "Yu Zidi is only 12 but she stuns the swim world with some of the year's fastest times". Associated Press. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  10. ↑ Race, Retta (21 May 2025). "12-Yr-Old Yu Zidi Blows Our Minds Again with 2:06.83 200 Fly at Chinese Nationals (Video)". SwimSwam. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  11. ↑ Race, Retta (24 May 2025). "Another One: 12-Yr-Old Yu Zidi Fires Off 4:35.53 400 IM to Close Chinese Nationals". SwimSwam. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  12. 1 2 Griffin, Sean (28 July 2025). "12-Year-Old Yu Zidi Clocks 2:09.21 To Take 4th In 200 IM World Championship Final". SwimSwam. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  13. ↑ Abdi, Nasra (17 July 2025). "Twelve-year-old Chinese swimmer takes stunning times to world championships". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  14. ↑ Decent, Tom (26 July 2025). "A Chinese swimmer born in 2012 is ready to break an 89-year-old record". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 July 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  15. ↑ "12-year-old debuts at world swim championships". ESPN. 27 July 2025. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  16. ↑ "China's Yu makes debut on world stage, 12-year-old doesn't disappoint". South China Morning Post. 27 July 2025. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  17. ↑ Takata, Daniel (1 August 2025). "Yu Zidi Becomes Youngest Swimmer Ever to Reach a Final, Win a Medal at World Championships". Swimswam. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  18. ↑ Race, Retta (31 July 2025). "2025 Worlds, Day 5 Asia Recap: China's 12-Yr-Old Yu Zidi Becomes Youngest-Ever Medalist". SwimSwam. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  19. ↑ Race, Retta (3 August 2025). "2025 Worlds, Day 8 Asia Recap: 12-Yr-Old Yu Zidi Wrangles Up Another Fourth-Place Finish". SwimSwam. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  20. 1 2 Race, Retta (11 November 2025). "13-Yr-Old Yu Zidi Crushes 2:07.41 200 IM Asian Record to Erase Ye Shiwen's 2012 Mark". SwimSwam. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  21. ↑ Ian Ransom (12 November 2025). "China's 13-year-old Yu claims first Asian record at National Games". Reuters. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  22. ↑ Race, Retta (14 November 2025). "2025 Chinese National Games: Day Five Finals Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  23. ↑ Race, Retta (17 November 2025). "2025 Chinese National Games: Day Eight Finals Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  24. ↑ Sutherlands, James (18 December 2025). "2025 Swammy Awards: World Junior Female Swimmer of the Year - Yu Zidi". SwimSwam. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  25. ↑ "Laureus World Sports Awards 2026 Nominees announced at a ceremony in Madrid". Laureus. 3 March 2026. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  26. ↑ Race, Retta (5 March 2026). "13-Yr-Old Yu Zidi Nominated for 2026 Laureus Award". SwimSwam. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  27. ↑ Sutherland, James (16 June 2026). "Yu Zidi, Pan Zhanle Headline Star-Studded Opening Day of Chinese National Championships". SwimSwam. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
  28. ↑ Frodyma, Trein (17 June 2026). "Yu Yiting Clocks 2:06.82 Asian Record in 200 IM at Chinese Nationals, #6 Performer All-Time". SwimSwam. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
  29. ↑ Griffin, Sean (19 June 2026). "13-Year-Old Yu Zidi Throws Down 4:30.79 400 IM, Now #8 All-Time Performer". SwimSwam. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
  30. ↑ "Yu Zidi, 13, wins record-breaking first major gold medal at Asian Games". BBC Sport. 20 September 2026. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
  31. ↑ "China's 13-year-old Yu Zidi smashes 200m butterfly Games record to win GOLD - Asian Games 2026". Mediacorp Sports YouTube channel. 20 September 2026. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
  32. ↑ Race, Retta (20 September 2026). "2026 Asian Games Record Roundup: 31-Yr-Old Xu Jiayu Hits 51.98 100 Backstroke". SwimSwam. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
  33. 1 2 3 Keith, Braden (21 September 2026). "13-Year-Old Yu Zidi Swims 2:06.10 in the 200 IM, Moves to #2 All-Time". SwimSwam. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
  34. ↑ Frodyma, Trein (23 September 2026). "Yu Zidi, 13, Continues Eye-Opening Asian Games with 4:28.56 400 IM, #5 Performer All-Time". SwimSwam. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
[edit]
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