13-year-old Chinese swimmer sets Asian Games record on way to gold
Yu Zhidi won the women's 200m butterfly at the Asian Games 2026 with a record time on day one of the competition
A 13-year-old Chinese swimmer stunned everyone with her performance on the very first day of the Asian Games 2026. Yu Zhidi clocked 2 minutes 05.08 seconds to win gold in the women's 200m butterfly event, setting a new Asian Games record in the process.
Yu Zhidi turns 14 next month. Coming just two years before the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, this is the first major international title of her career. Smiling after the win, she modestly described her performance as just okay.
In the gold medal race, Yu Zhidi beat her compatriot Chang Mohan by a big margin of 3.36 seconds. Chang Mohan had to settle for silver. Yu Zhidi is set to compete in three individual events at these Asian Games, and she has won her first major individual gold medal in her very first event.
Of the seven gold medals on offer on the first day of the competition, six went to Chinese swimmers, underlining China's dominance in swimming.
Yu Zhidi has made headlines before. Last year, at just 12 years of age, she created history by winning bronze with China's 4x200m freestyle relay team at the World Swimming Championships, becoming the youngest medallist in the history of the World Championships. At that championship, she also finished fourth in three individual events. In March this year, she stunned everyone by beating American Olympic champion Regan Smith. Yu Zhidi is being seen as one of the strong medal contenders for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Known for her short pixie haircut, she made her mark at the international level only last year.
Achieving this level of success at the world stage at such a young age has not been easy. Yu Zhidi herself has spoken several times about the mental pressure of competing on such a big stage. Before last year's Chinese National Games, the pressure of the 400m individual medley was so intense that she was left shaken, but her coach encouraged her to trust herself. As a result, she went on to win four medals at the National Games.
Yu Zhidi's rapid rise has sparked a new debate in the swimming world about the mental and physical pressure faced by young athletes. World Aquatics rules set the minimum age for international competition at 14 years, but young swimmers who meet the qualification criteria are given an exemption from this age limit. It was because of this exemption that Yu Zhidi was able to compete at the Asian Games.
