Young Swimmer Yu Zidi Claims Gold at Asian Games

Yu Zidi, a 13-year-old swimmer from China, won her first major gold medal at the Asian Games held in Japan, setting a new record in the women's 200m butterfly with a time of 2 minutes 05.08 seconds. This performance surpassed the previous record of 2:05:57 set by Zhang Zufei three years earlier in Hangzhou.

Yu's time was 3.36 seconds faster than the silver medalist, Chang Mohan. This event is the first of three individual competitions Yu is scheduled to participate in during the Asian Games, where swimming events are taking place in Tokyo.

Last year, she made history as the youngest swimming world championships medallist, winning bronze as part of China's 4x200m freestyle relay team. Despite her success, Yu has expressed challenges in managing the pressure of high-level competition, particularly during the build-up to the China National Games.

Her coach advised her to persevere, leading to her winning four medals at those games. Under World Aquatics rules, the minimum age for international championships is 14, but exceptions can be made for exceptional young swimmers.