China’s Yu Zidi, 13, smashes record again with second Asian Games swim gold
Yu gave another glimpse of her enormous potential in Tokyo as she scorched to victory in the women’s 200m individual medley in 2min 06.10sec, 0.72sec faster than the previous Asian Games record.
Yu Zidi of China competes in the women’s 200m individual medley final in swimming at the Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, on Sep 21, 2026. (Photo: AP/Hiro Komae)
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TOKYO: China’s 13-year-old swimming sensation Yu Zidi smashed another Asian Games record for her second gold in as many days on Monday (Sep 21), two years out from the Los Angeles Olympics.
Yu gave another glimpse of her enormous potential in Tokyo as she scorched to victory in the women’s 200m individual medley in 2min 06.10sec.
That was 0.72sec faster than the previous Asian Games record, held by compatriot Yu Yuting, and only 0.40sec off the world record held by Canada’s Summer McIntosh.
It was the fastest time in the world this year.
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“I’m very excited and happy,” said the beaming teenager.
“This is the result of our whole team’s hard work.”
Yu finished 1.89sec in front of Yu Yuting, with Japan’s Mio Narita third.
It gave her a second gold in as many days after also winning the 200m butterfly.
“I feel even happier winning this second gold medal than I did with the first one,” she said.
Yu became the youngest swimming world championships medallist in history last year when she won bronze as a 12-year-old as part of China’s 4x200m freestyle relay team.
She also finished just outside the medals in fourth in three world individual events.
She has embellished her growing reputation this year, notably with a victory over multiple American Olympic champion Regan Smith in March.
She said she was still learning her craft and there were “points I need to pay more attention to”.
“I’m capable of doing them but maybe I don’t always do them consciously,” she said.
“Once I go over them again in my head, I can execute them.”
DEAD HEAT
The China team won six of the seven golds on offer on the opening day in the pool on Sunday but they did not have things all their own way a day later.
Japan’s hotly tipped Shin Ohashi and China’s Dong Zhihao both took gold after a dead heat in the men’s 100m breaststroke.
Ohashi looked to have won it until Dong roared back late in the race and both touched the wall in 58.64sec.
China’s defending champion Qin Haiyang was third.
“I’m really happy to get a gold but it was a tie so it’s a little frustrating,” said Ohashi.
“The feeling is 50-50.”
Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey defended her title in the women’s 200m freestyle, romping home in a time of 1:54.96.
The 28-year-old finished 1.62sec ahead of silver medallist Li Jiaping of China.
Haughey said “a lot has happened” since she completed the Asian Games 100m-200m freestyle double three years ago in Hangzhou.
“The swimming world has changed so much, there are so many rising swimmers coming up so you never know what’s going to happen,” she said.
South Korea’s Kim Young-beom set a new Games record in winning men’s 50m freestyle gold in 21.66sec.
China’s Xu Jiayu won the men’s 50m backstroke, while team-mate Wan Letian won the women’s event.
China won the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay, overhauling Japan on the final lap.
Source: AFP/dy
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