12-year-old Chinese swimming prodigy impresses in global debut

Twelve-year-old Yu Zidi captured global attention on July 28 by reaching the women’s 200-meter individual medley final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. She recorded a personal best of 2:09.21 in the final, finishing fourth and missing a medal by just six hundredths of a second. Yu became the youngest finalist in the history of the event.

The aquatic prodigy first hit headlines last year after missing out on an Olympic qualifying time for Paris 2024 by just two seconds. Born in October 2012 in Baoding, Hebei province, Yu began swimming at age 6 and trains with the Hebei Taihua Jinye club under Olympic medalist Li Bingjie.

In May 2025 Yu set a world age-group record in the 200-meter individual medley with a time of 2:10.63. She also posted world-class times of 2:06.83 in the 200-meter butterfly and 4:35.53 in the 400-meter individual medley at China’s national championships, results that would have placed her in the finals at recent Olympic Games.

While World Aquatics typically requires competitors to be at least 14, Yu received an age exemption after surpassing the A-standard qualifying times. In Singapore she swam 2:11.90 in the heats and improved to 2:10.22 in the semifinals to qualify for the final.

In the championship race, Yu delivered a lifetime best of 2:09.21, joining a select group of women who have finished the 200-meter individual medley in under 2:10. She placed just behind Canada’s Mary-Sophie Harvey, who took bronze. After the race Yu said, “I will try to get on the podium but I feel that’s probably impossible. I was one step short today so I will keep working hard.”

Yu credits her coaches, team and family for her rapid development and support balancing swimming with her education. She is scheduled to compete in the 200-meter butterfly and 400-meter individual medley later in the competition, events in which her qualifying times rank among the world’s best for her age.