China’s 12-year-old swimming prodigy, Yu Zidi, made an impressive world debut at the Swimming World Championships in Singapore.
She qualified for the semifinals of the 200-meter individual medley with a time of 2:11.90. This performance highlights her as a rising star in the swimming world at a very young age.
While slightly off her season best (2:10.63), Yu still ranked 15th among 16 semifinal qualifiers. Notably, the 200 IM is considered her weakest event.
Yu is set to compete in two more events — the 400 IM and 200 butterfly — where her times from the Chinese championships rank among the world’s best this season. Her personal bests in both events would have placed fourth at the last Olympics.
Despite being under World Aquatics’ age limit of 14, Yu earned her spot by surpassing elite qualifying standards.
Clad in a black cap and gray suit, Yu remained silent after her race — but her swimming made plenty of noise.
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