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Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi made her debut at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Sunday as she competed in the 200-meter individual medley. She’s just 12 years old.
Yu is slated to compete in the 400-meter individual medley and the 200-meter butterfly.
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Yu Zidi of China prepares to compete in the women’s 200-meter individual medley heat at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
She finished with a time of 2 minutes, 11.90 seconds in the 200 IM, advancing to the semifinals. Her time was the 15th fastest of the 16 qualifiers.
Yu, who was born in October 2012, took up swimming at the age of six.
“The summer was too hot, and my dad took me to the water park,” she told China’s Xinhua News Agency, via The Sydney Morning Herald. “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.
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Yu Zidi of China competes in the women’s 200-meter individual medley heat at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
“My age is currently an advantage. I hope to grow and develop more strength in the future. I really want to experience the world-class competition.”
World Aquatics’ cut off age is 14 years old, but younger swimmers are allowed to compete if their times surpass a qualifying standard. Yu nearly made the China Olympic Team for the 2024 Paris Games but was a few seconds short.
Yu Zidi of China on her back in the women’s 200-meter individual medley heat at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
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Should Yu pick up a medal in any of the events, she would be the youngest swimmer since Denmark’s Inge Sorensen won a medal a month after turning 12 at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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