Yu, 13, breaks record again with second Asian Games gold

Tokyo: China's 13-year-old swimming prodigy Yu Zidi cemented her status as a rising star in the world of aquatic sports by shattering another Asian Games record and clinching her second gold medal in two days at the 2026 Asian Games in Tokyo. The teenager achieved a time of 2 minutes and 6.10 seconds in the women's 200-meter individual medley, a remarkable 0.72 seconds faster than the previous Asian Games record set by her countrywoman Yu Yuting.

This extraordinary feat also placed Yu just 0.40 seconds behind the world record held by Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh. Yu expressed her elation, stating, "I'm very excited and happy. This is the result of our whole team's hard work." Her victory followed a stunning win in the women's 200-meter butterfly event, marking the second gold medal for the young athlete in a span of two days.

Yu's achievement is the product of years of dedication and hard work, having become the youngest swimming world championships medallist in history at just 12 years old. Despite her young age, Yu is already learning valuable lessons in her craft and has set her sights on further improvement. The China team's dominance was evident on the opening day of the pool events, as they secured six out of seven gold medals.

However, on the second day, Japan's Shin Ohashi and China's Dong Zhihao shared the gold in the men's 100-meter breaststroke event, with both swimmers touching the wall simultaneously in 58.64 seconds. China's defending champion Qin Haiyang finished third in the race. In the women's 200-meter freestyle, Hong Kong's Siobhan Haughey successfully defended her title, finishing with a commanding lead of 1.62 seconds over China's Li Jiaping.

Haughey reflected on the evolving nature of the swimming world, acknowledging the emergence of new talents in the sport. South Korea's Kim Young-beom also made a mark by winning the men's 50-meter freestyle gold in a world-record time of 21.66 seconds. China's Xu Jiayu claimed the men's 50-meter backstroke title, while teammate Wan Letian secured the women's event.

The men's 4x200-meter freestyle relay saw China outperform Japan in the final stretch, securing another gold medal for the nation.