Young swimmers like Yu Zidi good for the sport, says Haughey

Tokyo - Four-time Olympic medallist Siobhan Haughey believes the emergence of young swimmers, like 13-year-old China's Yu Zidi, is a positive sign for the sport. Haughey, who won silver in the 100 and 200 freestyle events in Tokyo and bronze in both events in Paris, observed that younger swimmers are increasingly excelling at the highest levels.

Yu Zidi recently achieved a significant milestone by winning gold in the women's 200 butterfly at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, setting a Games record time of 2 minutes, 5.08 seconds. Haughey drew parallels between Yu and Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh, who competed at the Tokyo Olympics at the age of 14 and went on to win three gold medals in Paris.

Haughey noted that young swimmers like Yu have the potential to maintain their excellence as they age, making their performances particularly exciting for the future of swimming. Despite feeling like a veteran when competing against young talents, Haughey emphasized the value of experience and the importance of having more young swimmers in the sport to keep it moving forward and evolving.