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

Yu Zidi, a 13-year-old Chinese swimmer, is making waves in the world of competitive swimming. Last year at the age of 12, she became the youngest-ever medallist at the swimming world championships. Now a teenager, she is the focus of China's bid for Asian Games dominance and has Olympic glory in her sights. During the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, a 13-year-old Yu Zidi helped China reach the 4x200m women’s freestyle relay final, securing a historic bronze for swimming in the heats of the 200m butterfly event.

She narrowly missed out on medals in the 200m and 400m individual medley events. In November, she set an Asian record by swimming the women’s 200m medley in just 2:07.41. Yu has expressed her excitement for her debut at the Asian Games, which will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on September 19. Despite the heavy pressure placed on her, Yu remains determined to succeed.

She once described herself as "a newborn calf fearless of tigers," but has also spoken of the struggles she faces due to the demanding schedule of school and training. Her coach, Ha Sinan, compares her to a newborn calf fearless of tigers, highlighting her fearless spirit. Despite the pressure, Yu is committed to her dream of competing in the 2028 Olympics when she will be 15.