At 13, Yu Zidi is making waves in world swimming

 

TOKYO — Thirteen-year-old Yu Zidi broke the Asian file within the girls’s 200m particular person medley on the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Monday, edging defending champion and compatriot Yu Yiting in one of many closest races of the swimming program.

Yu clocked 2:06.10, the second-fastest time in historical past behind Canadian world file holder Summer McIntosh’s 2:05.70, and reclaimed an Asian file that Yu Yiting had taken from her solely three months earlier.

Swimming in lane 5 alongside Yu Yiting in lane 4, Yu trailed by 0.14 seconds after the butterfly leg and remained behind by way of the backstroke and breaststroke. By the 150-meter flip, nonetheless, the hole was down to only 0.03 seconds.

Then got here the freestyle. Yu Zidi powered by way of the ultimate 50 meters, closing in on the inexperienced line marking Asian-record tempo earlier than edging forward on the end.

“It’s the final 50 meters, so I just told myself not to hold anything back,” the 13-year-old mentioned after the race. “Give it everything. Don’t think about anything. Just close my eyes and push through.”

“I was really surprised and excited,” Yu mentioned. “This is the result of all the work our team has put in.” She added that her two Asian Games gold medals have been “just the beginning.”

The file capped a outstanding yr for {the teenager}. At China’s fifteenth National Games final November in Shenzhen, Yu clocked 2:07.41 to interrupt the Asian file of two:07.57 set by Ye Shiwen on the 2012 London Olympics. In June, Yu Yiting set a brand new mark with 2:06.82. Three months later, Yu Zidi shaved off 0.72 seconds to take the file again to her identify in Tokyo.

“Yu Yiting is a very strong opponent,” Yu mentioned. “She pushes me to keep improving and keep working hard.”

Yu Yiting sees their rivalry as a technique to push the occasion ahead. “Only by constantly breaking the Asian record can we dare to think about the world record, and have a chance to challenge McIntosh and other top swimmers at the 2028 Olympics,” she mentioned.

The teenager has additionally caught the eye of swimmers past her teammates. Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong, China, who gained the ladies’s 200m freestyle title on Monday, referred to as Yu Zidi “amazing” and mentioned she might be able to making the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics if she wished to.

“It’s so amazing to see young swimmers swim that fast, and she’s only 13, so I’m sure she still has a long way to go,” she mentioned.

For all the eye, Yu is unmistakably 13. She enjoys enjoying video games and calls her dad and mom when coaching away from residence. Before the Asian Games, she mentioned she merely wished individuals to keep in mind that she was only a child her age.

In the pool, nonetheless, her method is something however informal. “My eyes are only on the pool,” she mentioned of her mindset earlier than races. She additionally makes no secret of the work behind the outcomes.

“Even when I’m very tired, I have to keep training. When I feel I can’t hold on, I still have to keep going,” she mentioned.

Asked whether or not she had ever wished to cease due to the fatigue, Yu instantly shook her head.

“No. Because I think this is the time to build my foundation. If I stop now, how am I going to train later?”

Looking again, Yu supplied maybe her easiest evaluation: “Only I know how much hardship I have gone through this year. But I got through all of it.”

At 13, Yu is already making waves in world swimming, with loads of room nonetheless to develop.

“I hope I can keep getting better and better,” she mentioned.