Yu Zidi, a 12-year-old swimmer from China, made a remarkable debut at the World Aquatics Championships held in Singapore on Sunday. Competing in the 200-meter individual medley, she clocked 2 minutes, 11.90 seconds—fast enough to secure the 15th spot among the 16 swimmers who advanced to the semifinals.
Despite her young age, Yu’s performance has captured global attention. She is also set to compete in the 400-meter individual medley and the 200-meter butterfly later in the tournament.
Born in October 2012, Yu began swimming at the age of six after a trip to a water park sparked her love for the sport. “The summer was too hot, and my dad took me to the water park,” she told China’s Xinhua News Agency. “I enjoyed the coolness of the water and spent a lot of time in small pools for kids. One day, a coach came up to me and asked if I wanted to swim faster.”
Yu narrowly missed qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics, falling just seconds short of the required time. However, her rapid progress is being closely watched. Although World Aquatics typically requires swimmers to be at least 14 years old, athletes younger than that can compete if they meet qualifying times.
If Yu wins a medal in any of her events, she could become the youngest swimmer to do so since Denmark’s Inge Sorensen won an Olympic medal shortly after turning 12 at the 1936 Berlin Games.
Yu said her current age gives her an edge and hopes to grow stronger as she continues to train. “I really want to experience world-class competition,” she added, signaling her long-term ambition on the global stage.
