Yu Zidi, the 12-year-old Chinese lady difficult the world swimming system | Sports activities

There are occasions when a sporting story transcends data, medals, or podium finishes. And typically a 12-year-old lady, nonetheless sufficiently old to be “running around the park, catching bugs,” emerges from the pool on the World Swimming Championships in Singapore and shifts the main target of a complete championship. This is what Yu Zidi, a Chinese prodigy, has completed, not solely astonishing spectators along with her performances but additionally placing the worldwide federation itself in jeopardy, which is now contemplating altering its guidelines in her case.

Yu completed fourth within the 200m particular person medley, simply six hundredths of a second off the bronze medal, and on Thursday she repeated the identical place within the 200m butterfly last. She did so with a time of two:06.43, simply 31 hundredths of a second off the bronze medal taken by Australia’s Elizabeth Dekkers. But, past the outcome, she as soon as once more demonstrated that she’s not on the World Championships by chance: at simply 12 years previous, she’s rubbing shoulders with the world’s elite.

Yu’s look has unleashed a whirlwind. “We never imagined a 12-year-old girl would swim like that,” confessed Brent Nowicki, govt director of World Aquatics, the worldwide federation. The guidelines enable youngsters below 14 to compete provided that they obtain the minimal A marks. But hardly anybody thought any youngsters would ask to strive. Yu did so on the Chinese nationwide championships. “Our standards are so strict that I didn’t think a girl that young had the potential to achieve those times,” added Nowicki, making it clear that the federation will evaluation the principles: “We’ll take a look and see if we need to take further steps or if we’re comfortable where we are.”

The fact is that her look has sparked a profound debate that goes past the sporting sphere: to what extent is it truthful, or moral, for a woman to coach and compete at this stage? What bodily and psychological implications does it have? Is she prepared, or is she being dragged alongside by an excessively grasping system?

In China, her participation is defended as a part of a sporting tradition that rewards excellence from an early age with financial and social compensation that extends to the athlete’s total household. But outdoors of that context, inevitable warnings come up. “When I was 12, I was still running around the park, catching bugs and having a good time,” recalled David Popovici, a world champion at 17, when requested about Yu’s case. “I hope she has a good support team, because the road ahead isn’t easy.”

Comparisons are inevitable. Inge Sorensen received bronze within the 200 breaststroke on the 1936 Berlin Olympics at simply 12 years previous. Like Yu, she sparked an issue over the minimal age and the impression on youngsters’s well being. Sorensen, who would go on to win Nordic and European championships, was by no means capable of attend one other Olympic occasion: the conflict intervened. In different instances, equivalent to Japan’s Kyoko Iwasaki (Olympic gold at 14 in 1992) or Hungary’s Krisztina Egerszegi (gold at 14 in 1988), nice begins had been preludes to memorable careers.

In fashionable swimming, Ye Shiwen, additionally Chinese, received a World Championship at 15 and was a double Olympic champion in London in 2012, earlier than stagnating at data that grew to become irrelevant in maturity. But each physique is completely different. So is each childhood. And that’s the underside line: Yu Zidi remains to be a baby. An distinctive youngster, little question. But a baby.

Now that the worldwide federation is contemplating toughening the necessities, maybe definitively setting the minimal age at 14, Yu’s story turns into greater than a sporting phenomenon: it’s a warning and a chance. “She’s great, she has a great future, and hopefully good things will come out of this,” Nowicki mentioned. But he added: “We have to be careful. We don’t want to tip the scales in the opposite direction.”

Yu contested one other last on Thursday. She carried out simply as she had within the 200m medley: reaching a notable fourth place and coming inside putting distance of a historic podium end. But what she’s already achieved goes far past a medal: she’s challenged a complete system.

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