Who Is Yu Zidi? Meet 13-Year-Old Chinese Swimming Phenomenon Making Waves On The International Stage

China's Yu Zidi has thrust herself into global focus after the 13-year-old won three individual gold medals at the Asian Games, a sweep that is already casting her as a future rival to Canada's Summer McIntosh. Yu won the 200-metre butterfly, the 200 individual medley and the 400 IM.

Yu is now being tipped as one of the swimmers to watch at the Los Angeles Olympics in two years, where she is likely to meet McIntosh in the same events. Next year's world championships in Budapest, Hungary, could also provide an early showdown.

At 13, Yu has moved from prodigy to contender. Her times, age and event range have sharpened attention on whether she can push the sport's leading benchmark sooner than expected.

McIntosh's Benchmark

McIntosh is the measuring stick. The Canadian took three golds at the Paris Olympics two years ago and owns the world records in all three of Yu's core events.

Those records stand at 2 minutes 1.65 seconds in the 200 fly, 2:05.70 in the 200 IM and 4:23.65 in the 400 IM. Yu is already moving close to them, especially in the medley races.

Her closest approach came Monday. Yu clocked 2:06.10 in the 200 IM at the Asian Games, making that the event where she is nearest to McIntosh's world record. McIntosh has just turned 20, giving the matchup an age gap of seven years.

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Earlier Age Comparisons

The age comparison is striking. At 12, Yu was swimming roughly 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-metre pool, that is about half a lap, depending on the event. That scale explains why Yu's progression is drawing so much notice.

If that curve continues, Yu appears capable of attacking all three records. She could also branch into another event and distance, though McIntosh and others are still in that fight.

World Stage Debut

Yu stepped onto the world stage a year ago. At 12, when she was still a sixth- or seventh-grade student, she raced at the world championships last year in Singapore and finished fourth in all three events.

She came close to the podium each time. The results showed she could already compete at the highest level, even if she fell just short of an individual medal.

She did take home relay bronze, though she was not in the final. "I think it’s a great story. I don’t know where it will lead," Greg Meehan, the national team director for the Americans in Singapore, said at the time.

Family And Roots

Yu comes from Baoding in Hebei province, about 150 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of Beijing. That is notable because many of China's top swimmers come from areas farther south.

She began swimming at 6 after a local coach spotted her. Chinese media reported that her training path forced her to give up piano and dance lessons.

Her mother, Liu Hui, and father, Yu Tao, have both been in Tokyo to watch her compete at the Olympic pool being used for the Asian Games. Asked by Chinese television last year if she was a genius, Yu replied: "I'm not a genius, I'm just a hard-working person."