China’s swimming prodigy Yu Zidi bags third gold in Asian Games record | Women
Yu Zidi Wins Gold, Sets New Asian Games Record in 400m Individual Medley
TOKYO — Thirteen-year-old swimmer Yu Zidi of China continued to impress at the 2026 Asian Games, capturing her third gold medal with a record-setting performance in the 400m individual medley on Wednesday. Yu finished the race in 4 minutes 28.56 seconds, surpassing the previous Asian Games record of 4 minutes 33.09 seconds set by Ye Shiwen in 2014 by approximately 4.5 seconds.
Yu’s victory in the 400m event followed her earlier successes in the 200m butterfly and the 200m individual medley, where she also set records. This remarkable achievement marks her clean sweep of all three individual swimming events at this year’s Games.
This impressive time ranks as the fourth-fastest swim in the world this year, with only world record-holder Summer McIntosh recording better times.
With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on the horizon, Yu is poised to be a significant contender for medals. Last year, she made headlines as the youngest medallist at the World Aquatics Championships, earning a bronze with China’s relay team at just 12 years old. In addition to her relay success, she narrowly missed podium finishes in three individual events at the same championship.
Earlier this year, she further solidified her reputation by defeating seven-time Olympic medallist Regan Smith at the China Swimming Open in the 200m butterfly.
During the Asian Games, Yu demonstrated her dominance in the pool, taking the lead from the start in the 400m individual medley and finishing 3.95 seconds ahead of silver medallist Ke Wenxi, also from China. Japan’s Mio Narita secured the bronze medal.
Yu has captured the attention of both international and domestic audiences, with her story of being discovered by a coach at a water park and her candidness in interviews resonating with fans. After one of her races, when asked about handling media questions, she giggled and remarked, “Every time I just want to float off somewhere else.”
