Who is Yu Zidi: China’s 13-year-old swimmer Yu Zidie asian games 2026 Have made my debut memorable. During the Games being held in Japan, Yu Zidi also created a new Asian Games record by winning the gold medal in the women’s 200 meter butterfly event. She completed the race in 2 minutes 05.08 seconds and left behind the record set by China’s Zhang Yufei in the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago.
Zhang Yufei had set a record in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games by clocking 2:05.57. This time Yu Zidi performed better than him by about half a second and made a new record. He left behind his compatriot Chang Mohan, who won the silver medal in the race, by a huge margin of 3.36 seconds.
This is Yu Zidi’s first individual gold medal in the Asian Games. The special thing is that she is just 13 years old and will be 14 years old next month. Her performance in the Asian Games is also special because she is one of the youngest popular players of the Chinese swimming team.
Has made history at the age of 12
Yu Zidi’s name is not new in the world of swimming. Last year, at the age of just 12, he had created history in the World Championship. He participated in the heats for China’s 4×200 meter freestyle relay team at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships held in Singapore. The Chinese team won the bronze medal and with this Yu Zidi became the youngest medalist in the history of World Championship swimming.
However, she was just short of a medal in the individual events. He had secured fourth place in 200 meter butterfly, 200 meter individual medley and 400 meter individual medley. In the 200 meter individual medley, she was just 0.06 seconds behind the bronze, while in the 200 meter butterfly, her gap was 0.31 seconds.
Yu Zidi’s wonderful journey continues in 2026
Yu Zidi has impressed everyone with his speed and ability this year too. In March, she also defeated America’s Olympic champion Regan Smith. Now with the gold and record in the Asian Games, she has once again shown that even at such a young age, she can compete in big international competitions.
Yu Zidi is also being seen among China’s emerging swimmers for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. However, due to his young age, there has been discussion in the swimming world about his training and frequent participation in big level competitions.
Big pressure at a young age is also a challenge
Yu Zidi himself has talked about the pressure he faces at a young age. Last year, before China’s National Games, she said that the pressure of trying to win a 400m individual medal had increased so much on her that she felt she was unable to handle it. His coach encouraged him to keep moving forward and believe in himself. Later Yu won four medals in the National Games.
Yu’s story has also sparked discussion about what impact elite-level training and competitions at a very young age can have on children’s physical and mental development. World Aquatics rules generally set the minimum age for international championships at 14, but exceptions may be made for younger swimmers who meet certain qualifying standards. Yu Zidi was able to participate in the 2025 World Championship on this basis.
Who is Yu Zidi?
- Yu Zidi is an extraordinary and extremely talented young female swimmer from China. She is counted among the fastest young swimmers in the world. She has emerged as a ‘swimming sensation’ at the international level.
- Yu was born on 16 October 2012 in Baoding, Hebei (China). Currently she is 13 years old.
- At the age of just 12, he participated in the 2025 World Aquatics Championship (Singapore). She became the youngest swimmer to win a medal in the history of this championship, where she won the bronze medal with China’s 4×200 meter freestyle relay team.
- During the National Games of China in November 2025, she also made a new Asian record by completing the women’s 200 meter individual medley (IM) in 2 minutes 7.41 seconds.
The 200m butterfly gold and new Games record at the Asian Games is another big chapter in Yu Zidi’s rapidly growing career. He still has two more individual events left. Therefore, his eyes will also be on more medals in the Asian Games 2026.