{
  "id": 9270911,
  "title": "Schoolgirl Yu, 13, fastest again in bid for third Asian Games gold",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/schoolgirl-yu-13-fastest-again-in-bid-for-third-asian-games-gold",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-23T04:45:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/schoolgirl-yu-13-fastest-again-044557594.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Chinese 13-year-old swimmer Yu Zidi has set a new record as the fastest qualifier in the women's 400m individual medley heats for the upcoming Asian Games in Tokyo. Yu has already secured two gold medals in Tokyo, having broken world records in the 200m butterfly and 200m individual medley events. Teammate Zhang Yufei, an Olympic gold medalist and world champion, has noted that Yu's performance is no longer surprising and that her potential is growing. Despite her young age, Yu has become a major medal hope for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and her success has garnered significant attention back in China, where her story of being discovered at a water park has gone viral.",
  "summary": "China's 13-year-old swimmer Yu Zidi went fastest in the heats as she closes in on a hat-trick of Asian Games golds on Wednesday -- and her team-mates say her stunning success is no longer a surprise.Zhang, who won the 10th Asian Games gold of her career this week with China's 4x100m freestyle relay team, said she was \"quite shocked\" when Yu first burst onto the scene.",
  "key_points": [
    "13-year-old Yu Zidi sets new record as fastest qualifier for Tokyo Asian Games.",
    "Yu already won two gold medals with world record breaks in 200m butterfly and 200m IM.",
    "Yu considered major medal hope for 2028 LA Olympics despite young age."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Yu's record-breaking performance cements her status as a major medal hope for China, particularly for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and validates her growing reputation as a dominant swimmer.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}