Yu Zidi: China’s fearless swimming prodigy, 13, with Olympics in her sights

Yu Zidi, the 13-year-old Chinese swimming prodigy, has made history as the youngest-ever medallist at the swimming world championships. Now a teenager, she is leading China's bid for Asian Games and Olympic glory. At the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Yu helped China reach the 4x200m women's freestyle relay final, earning a historic bronze for swimming in the heats.

Despite not winning medals in the 200m and 400m individual medley events and the 200m butterfly, Yu's performance has captured the world's attention. Growing up in Baoding, near Beijing, Yu began swimming at six and has balanced schoolwork with training. She described the demanding schedule as "really tiring," with moments of exhaustion even while eating.

Yu's coach, Ha Sinan, once referred to her as "a newborn calf fearless of tigers," highlighting her fearless nature. However, Yu has also spoken about the pressure she faces, comparing it to "a big stone that weighed on me and made it hard to breathe." Despite these challenges, Yu remains determined, stating that hard work outweighs innate talent in achieving success.

She aims to compete in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, where she will be 15, and is focused on breaking past her own limits and standing on the Olympic podium.