12-year-old Chinese swimmer reaches women’s 200m IM final at world aquatics championships
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China's swimmer Yu Zidi competes in the semi-finals of the women's 200m individual medley swimming event during the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on July 27, 2025.
PHOTO: AFP
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SINGAPORE – Swimming prodigy Yu Zidi of China surprised even herself after reaching the final of the women’s 200m individual medley at the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) in Singapore.
On July 27, the 12-year-old schoolgirl squeezed into the final at the WCH Arena in seventh place after clocking 2min 10.22sec in what is not her pet event.
Yu, who juggles swimming with her homework, is also competing in the 400m medley and the 200m butterfly against the best swimmers on the planet.
“I’m in? Oh, I’m happy about that and I will continue to work harder,” she said after realising she had made the July 28 final.
“I hope to find a breakthrough at these world championships and show my potential.”
Olympic champion and world record holder Summer McIntosh qualified fastest for the 200m medley final in 2:07.39, while Ellen Walshe of Ireland clinched the eighth and last berth in 2:10.49.
Asked how it felt to be on the world stage, following some eye-catching performances at China’s national championships, Yu said: “It feels really good. How do I put it... it’s much more than my expectations.
“You can feel it’s quite intense. I try not to think so much and just give it my all.”
Yu started swimming when she was six to escape China’s fierce summer heat.
“The summer was too hot, and my dad took me to the water park,” she told China’s official Xinhua News Agency previously. “I enjoyed the coolness of the water and spent a lot of time in different small pools for kids. One day, a coach approached me and asked if I wanted to swim faster.” REUTERS
