12-Year-Old History Maker Yu Zidi Heads To World Swimming Championships

Last Updated:July 17, 2025, 12:14 IST

Yu Zidi, from China, will compete at the world swimming championships in Singapore, with world-class times in the 200 and 400 IM and 200 butterfly, rivaling Olympic performances.

Yu Zidi celebrates on the podium of the 2025 National Swimming Championships in Shenzhen (China). (AP)

Yu Zidi from China, a mere 12-year-old, is set to compete at the world swimming championships later this month in Singapore. That’s astounding. But her age is just one aspect of her story.

Despite her youth, Yu has achieved times in three events this year that rank among the world’s best. Even more striking, these times were close to medal-winning performances at last year’s Paris Olympics.

Remember, she’s only 12—a sixth- or seventh-grade student, depending on the school system, not yet a teenager.

“I think it’s a great story. I don’t know where it will lead," Greg Meehan, the national team director for the American squad in Singapore, told The Associated Press.

As is typical for promising young swimmers, Yu is setting personal bests almost every time she competes. These PBs are more than mere confidence boosters; they place her within reach of records, medals, and stardom.

Yu has qualified for the 200- and 400-meter individual medleys and the 200 butterfly, and she has the potential to win medals in all three.

Her time of 2 minutes, 10.63 seconds in the 200 IM at the Chinese championships in May was the fastest ever recorded by a 12-year-old swimmer—male or female—according to World Aquatics, the sport’s global governing body.

But that was just the beginning. Her time of 2:06.83 in the 200 butterfly at the same meet would have placed her fourth in last year’s Paris Olympics. It was the fifth-fastest time in the world this year and would have secured gold at the 2024 world championships.

Again, Yu is only 12 years old.

To cap off the national championships, she swam 4:35.53 in the 400 IM, the fifth-fastest time of the year in that event. That time would have earned her fourth place at last year’s Olympics, just 0.6 seconds behind bronze medalist Emma Weyant of the United States.

Faster than McIntosh at 12

The 400 IM is dominated by 18-year-old Canadian Summer McIntosh, who holds the world record of 4:23.65 and the 200 IM mark of 2:05.70. McIntosh is a generational talent, having won three gold medals in Paris.

By comparison, Yu at 12 is swimming approximately 15 seconds faster in the 400 IM than McIntosh did at the same age, and about 12 seconds faster in the 200 IM. In a 50-meter pool, 12 to 15 seconds would constitute a half-lap, depending on the event.

Yu is not the first young swimmer to excel, but her astonishing times and the promise of future achievements set her apart.

Of course, success is never guaranteed, and young swimmers can sometimes burn out.

Started out as fun

Yu revealed she began swimming at age 6 in a water amusement park.

“The summer was too hot, and my dad took me to the water park," she told China’s official Xinhua News Agency. “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."

The rest is history, as Yu explained her event preference.

“Since I am not competitive in the sprint events, I have to choose the 400-meter individual medley and the 200-meter butterfly as my favourites," Yu told Xinhua. “My age is currently an advantage and I hope to grow and develop more strength in the future."

Yu trains at the Hebei Taihua Jinye Swimming Club in Hengshui City, south of Beijing in Hebei Province.

Alzain Tareq of Bahrain competed at the 2015 world championships at just 10 years old. She finished last in her event. World Aquatics now enforces stricter age rules than a decade ago. Swimmers must be at least 14 unless their times meet qualification standards. Essentially, this means there is no age limit.

Road to Olympics

If Yu were to win Olympic gold in three years in Los Angeles, she would be 15. However, she wouldn’t be the youngest swimmer to achieve this feat.

Kyoko Iwasaki of Japan was 14 years and 6 days old when she won gold in the 200 breaststroke at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Swimmers, especially females, tend to peak early.

The specialty publication and website SwimSwam lists seven swimmers—all women—who won Olympic gold before turning 15. Three, including Iwasaki, did so in individual events, while four won gold in relays.

American superstar Katie Ledecky was 15 years and 139 days old when she won the 800 freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics—the first of her nine gold medals across four Olympics.

She’s still swimming and is the overwhelming favourite to win the 1,500 meters in Singapore. Ledecky holds the top 23 times in history for the event, along with No. 25.

For another perspective, consider this: Ledecky’s first gold came several months before Yu was born—Oct. 6, 2012.

“I have no idea what it’s like to compete abroad," Yu told Xinhua. “I really want to experience the world-class competition."

The world watches.

With AP Inputs

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News sports 12-Year-Old History Maker Yu Zidi Heads To World Swimming Championships