Twelve-year-old Chinese Swimmer Takes Stunning Times To World Championships

A 12-year-old swimmer has qualified for nan world championships successful Singapore aft her capacity astatine China’s nationals placed her times among nan world’s elite this season.

Yu Zidi’s 200m butterfly clip was 1 of nan fastest globally and would person narrowly missed retired connected an Olympic badge past year. She besides posted a competitory clip successful nan 400m individual medley, adjacent to an Olympic podium pace.

Yu’s times are quicker than Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh at nan aforesaid age. McIntosh, now 18, holds nan world records successful some medley events and won 3 Olympic golden medals past year.

Yu began training astatine nan property of six and is based astatine nan Hebei Taihua Jinye Swimming Club, southbound of Beijing. She specialises successful longer, method events specified arsenic nan medley and butterfly.

Speaking to China’s Xinhua news agency, Yu said: “My property is presently an advantage. I dream to turn and create much spot successful nan future.” She added: “I really want to acquisition nan world-class competition.”

World Aquatics title regulations typically require swimmers to beryllium astatine slightest 14 years aged to compete, unless they execute qualifying times that meet elite capacity standards. Yu met those times, allowing her to bypass nan property threshold.

Teenage standouts person agelong been a characteristic of world swimming. American Katie Ledecky was 15 erstwhile she won golden successful nan 800m freestyle astatine London 2012. Japan’s Kyoko Iwasaki remains nan youngest swimmer to triumph Olympic golden successful an individual event, taking nan 200m breaststroke title astatine 14 during nan 1992 Barcelona Games.

In 2015, Bahrain’s Alzain Tareq competed astatine nan world championships aged 10, though she did not beforehand past nan heats. Since then, qualification standards person been tightened, ensuring that immoderate young swimmer competing astatine nan highest level has met rigorous capacity benchmarks.

The World Aquatics Championships, which began connected 11 July and proceed until 3 August, is being held astatine nan OCBC Aquatic Centre successful Singapore. With 3 events – 200m and 400 medley and 200m butterfly – connected her schedule, nan 12-year-old will make her world debut against immoderate of nan sport’s biggest names.