China’s Yu Zidi, 12, Wins Relay Bronze At World Swimming Championships

Chinese 12-year-old Yu Zidi has won a bronze badge astatine nan aquatics world championships, an astounding feat for a woman who would beryllium a sixth- aliases seventh-grade student depending connected nan schoolhouse system.

Yu earned nan badge by swimming successful nan prelims of China’s 4x200-meter freestyle relay team. She did not aquatics successful nan last connected Thursday – China placed 3rd down winning Australia and nan United States – but gets a bronze badge arsenic a squad member.

She’s been adjacent to winning an individual medal, placing 4th successful some nan 200 butterfly and nan 200 individual medley. She still has nan 400 IM to swim.

Brent Nowicki, nan executive head of World Aquatics, said nan governing assemblage would look astatine its age-limit rules. The limit is now 14, but athletes tin scope nan worlds if they surpass a reliable clip standard.

“I didn’t deliberation I’d person this conversation, but now I deliberation we person to spell backmost and opportunity is this appropriate?” he said this week successful Singapore. “Is this really nan correct measurement to spell guardant and do we request to do different things? Put different guardrails up? Do we let it nether definite conditions? I don’t cognize nan answer.”

He called Yu “great”. He besides said officials had to beryllium “careful” astir nan property issue.

Friday’s convention will beryllium missing nan 2 large stars of nan meet truthful acold – France’s Léon Marchand and Summer McIntosh of Canada. Both person nary last swims.

Five finals were group for Friday. Some of nan attraction will spell to Evgenila Chikunova, swimming arsenic a Neutral Athlete. She holds nan world grounds successful nan 200 breaststroke wherever has nan apical clip entering nan final. The apical challenger is American Kate Douglass.

South African Pieter Coetze is nan favourite successful nan men’s 200 backstroke. Yohann Ndoye-Brouard of France and Hurbert Kos of Hungary were nan adjacent quickest qualifiers.

The different finals are successful nan women’s 100 free, nan men’s 200 breaststroke, and nan men’s 4x200 relay.

McIntosh, Ledecky group up 800m world title showdown

McIntosh and Katie Ledecky set up a showdown for nan ages successful Singapore erstwhile some stars cruised into nan 800m freestyle last connected Friday.

American awesome Ledecky, 28, is nan undisputed maestro successful nan event, having won nan title astatine nan past 4 Olympics and updating her ain world grounds successful May this year.

But McIntosh, 10 years Ledecky’s junior, is successful nan temper to snatch her crown arsenic she looks to subordinate Michael Phelps arsenic nan only swimmer to triumph 5 individual titles astatine a azygous world championships.

The 18-year-old Canadian has already bagged 3 golds from 3 events successful Singapore and she clocked nan third-fastest 800m freestyle clip ever successful June.

The different 9 times connected nan apical 10 each beryllium to Ledecky but McIntosh’s shape suggests a changing of nan defender could beryllium connected nan cards.

Ledecky fired nan first shots successful Friday morning’s heats, qualifying for Saturday’s last fastest successful a clip of 8min 14.62sec, pinch McIntosh 3rd successful 8:19.88.

McIntosh said she felt successful bully style aft winning 200m butterfly golden nan erstwhile night, and she had nan remainder of nan time and nan pursuing greeting to retrieve earlier nan final.

“I felt a batch amended than I thought I was going to this morning,” McIntosh said aft her heat.

“I’ve been recovering really well, astir apt nan champion I ever person successful a large meet for illustration this.

“We’re connected time six truthful to consciousness for illustration this is really promising.”

Ledecky made her world breakthrough successful nan 800m free, winning golden astatine nan 2012 London Olympics astatine nan property of 15.

She went connected to predominate nan arena for much than a decade and showed that she still had plentifulness to connection successful June erstwhile she smashed her ain world record, which had stood since 2016.

McIntosh besides headed to Singapore successful red-hot form, breaking 3 world records successful a matter of days astatine nan Canadian tests successful June.

McIntosh and Ledecky person already had their first head-to-head successful Singapore, pinch McIntosh coming retired connected apical to triumph golden successful nan 400m free.

The Canadian is simply a comparative newcomer to nan 800m free but she safely negotiated nan heats pinch nan minimum of fuss.

“My extremity was conscionable to triumph my power to beautiful overmuch unafraid that I’ll get a lane for tomorrow night’s last and do that pinch nan slightest magnitude of power possible,” she said.

“I’m conscionable trying to get done it because I’ve ne'er really done 800 heats earlier truthful I don’t cognize what to expect.

“I’m conscionable gladsome it’s complete and done pinch now.”

Australia’s Lani Pallister and Italy’s Simona Quadarella will besides dream to guidelines connected nan podium aft Saturday’s title but each eyes will beryllium connected Ledecky and McIntosh successful nan conflict for gold.

“Having each those girls astir maine will decidedly push maine to a really bully clip and I’m really excited to title Katie tomorrow night,” said McIntosh.