Twelve-year-old Chinese swimmer takes stunning times to world championships

A 12-year-old swimmer has qualified for the world championships in Singapore after her performance at China’s nationals placed her times among the world’s elite this season.

Yu Zidi’s 200m butterfly time was one of the fastest globally and would have narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal last year. She also posted a competitive time in the 400m individual medley, close to an Olympic podium pace.

Yu’s times are quicker than Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh at the same age. McIntosh, now 18, holds the world records in both medley events and won three Olympic gold medals last year.

Yu began training at the age of six and is based at the Hebei Taihua Jinye Swimming Club, south of Beijing. She specialises in longer, technical events such as the medley and butterfly.

Speaking to China’s Xinhua news agency, Yu said: “My age is currently an advantage. I hope to grow and develop more strength in the future.” She added: “I really want to experience the world-class competition.”

World Aquatics competition regulations typically require swimmers to be at least 14 years old to compete, unless they achieve qualifying times that meet elite performance standards. Yu met those times, allowing her to bypass the age threshold.

Teenage standouts have long been a feature of international swimming. The American Katie Ledecky was 15 when she won gold in the 800m freestyle at London 2012. Japan’s Kyoko Iwasaki remains the youngest swimmer to win Olympic gold in an individual event, taking the 200m breaststroke title at 14 during the 1992 Barcelona Games.

In 2015, Bahrain’s Alzain Tareq competed at the world championships aged 10, though she did not advance past the heats. Since then, qualification standards have been tightened, ensuring that any young swimmer competing at the highest level has met rigorous performance benchmarks.

The World Aquatics Championships, which began on 11 July and continue until 3 August, is being held at the OCBC Aquatic Centre in Singapore. With three events – 200m and 400 medley and 200m butterfly – on her schedule, the 12-year-old will make her international debut against some of the sport’s biggest names.