China's 13-year-old Yu cruises as Asian Games swimming begins

On the opening day of the Asian Games swimming events in Tokyo, young Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi and Olympic champion Pan Zhanle sailed through their respective heats. At just 13 years old, Yu made history last year by becoming the youngest swimming world championships medallist, earning bronze as part of China's 4x200m freestyle relay team. She also narrowly missed a medal in four individual events and has since solidified her reputation with a victory over American Olympic champion Regan Smith in March.

Yu demonstrated her prowess in the women's 200m butterfly heat, setting a remarkable time of 2 minutes and 7.97 seconds, nearly two seconds faster than her nearest competitor, fellow Chinese swimmer Chang Mohan. The young athlete, who will turn 14 in October, expressed confidence in her performance, stating, "The first 50, I felt I controlled my speed and then the second 50 I was at the max."

Pan Zhanle, the 22-year-old Olympic champion in the men's 100m freestyle, also made an impressive start in his event. He qualified with the fastest time of 48.07 seconds, ahead of South Korea's Hwang Sun-woo. Pan, who set a world record in the 100m freestyle at the Paris Olympics, aimed to bounce back from a disappointing performance at the 2022 world championships in Singapore.

Japanese swimmer Tomoyuki Matsushita secured the fastest time in the men's 200m individual medley, clocking in at 1 minute and 58.56 seconds. Matsushita, representing Japan in anticipation of better results at the 2023 Asian Games in Tokyo, expressed his desire to perform at his best for the enthusiastic local audience.