China’s 13-year-old swimmer, Yu Zidi, claimed her first major individual gold medal after setting a new Asian Games record in the women’s 200m butterfly in Tokyo on Sunday.
Yu, who will turn 14 next month, clocked 2:05.08 to win the event and break the previous Asian Games record of 2:05.57 set by compatriot Zhang Yufei at the Hangzhou Games three years ago.
She finished 3.36 seconds ahead of fellow Chinese swimmer Chang Mohan, who settled for silver, as Yu underlined her growing reputation on the international stage.
The victory was Yu’s first major individual gold and the opening event of three individual competitions she is scheduled to contest at the Games.
The teenager made history at last year’s World Championships when she became the youngest swimming medallist after helping China win bronze in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay at the age of 12.
She narrowly missed out on individual medals at the same championships, finishing fourth in three events.
Yu has continued to make progress this year, including a notable victory over American Olympic champion Regan Smith at the China Open in March.
Her performances have raised expectations ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where she is expected to challenge among the leading swimmers.
However, Yu has previously spoken about the pressure of competing at the highest level at such a young age.
During preparations for last year’s China National Games, she revealed that her desire to win the 400m individual medley had at one point become overwhelming.
She said her coach encouraged her to persevere and “believe in yourself”, advice that helped her go on to win four medals at the National Games.
Her rapid rise has also prompted concerns within swimming circles about the possible physical and mental effects of intense training and competition on such a young athlete.
Under World Aquatics regulations, swimmers must generally be at least 14 to compete at international championships, although exceptions are possible for younger athletes who meet the required performance standards.
