12-year-old swimmer reaches women's 200m medley final at 2025 World Swimming Championships

Despite competing and doing homework, 12-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi still shines. She has won the right to enter the final of the women's 200m individual medley at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships (WCH) taking place in Singapore.

12-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi causes a stir at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships (WCH) - Photo: Xinhua

In the 200m medley semi-finals, Yu Zidi finished 7th in the overall standings with a time of 2 minutes 10.22 seconds and became the youngest athlete in history to reach the final of the World Aquatics Championships.

It is worth noting that this is not her forte. To compete for a medal, Yu Zidi needs to be at least 1 second faster than her current best time. In addition to this event, Yu Zidi also competes in 2 other events at the tournament: 400m medley and 200m butterfly.

If she wins a medal, she will equal an 89-year-old record. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Denmark's Inge Sorensen won bronze in the 200m breaststroke at the age of 12. To this day, Sorensen remains the youngest swimmer to win a medal at a global competition. And fans are waiting for Yu Zidi to make history.

According to Chinese media, Yu Zidi started swimming professionally at the age of 6. She then trained in Hebei province and combined swimming with her schoolwork.

Interestingly, the reason Yu Zidi took up swimming was to... escape the scorching heat in China. Yu Zidi said: "That summer was so hot that I went to the water park with my dad. I often went to the pool to cool off... and a coach discovered me."

Swimming, homework and dealing with the pressure of being China's sports hopeful keep Yu Zidi's schedule extremely busy. "I'm very busy every day and don't have much time, but it's also very rewarding," she told Xinhua.

Yu first came to national attention last year and has drawn comparisons to Ye Shiwen, who became China's youngest Olympic swimmer at the age of 16 at the 2022 London Olympics.

In addition to speed and endurance, Yu Zidi is praised for his "good sense" and ability to concentrate "far beyond his peers." Swimming coach Michael Bohl commented on Yu Zidi: "I have never seen a 12-year-old who can swim like this."

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/kinh-ngu-12-tuoi-lot-vao-chung-ket-200m-hon-hop-nu-tai-giai-boi-the-gioi-2025-20250728083217931.htm