Chinese swimming prodigy makes debut on world stage at just 12 years old
Yu is slated to compete in the 400-meter individual medley and the 200-meter butterfly.
She finished with a time of 2 minutes, 11.90 seconds in the 200 IM, advancing to the semifinals. Her time was the 15th fastest of the 16 qualifiers.
Yu, who was born in October 2012, took up swimming at the age of six.
"The summer was too hot, and my dad took me to the water park," she told China's Xinhua News Agency, via The Sydney Morning Herald. "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.
"My age is currently an advantage. I hope to grow and develop more strength in the future. I really want to experience the world-class competition."
World Aquatics' cut off age is 14 years old, but younger swimmers are allowed to compete if their times surpass a qualifying standard. Yu nearly made the China Olympic Team for the 2024 Paris Games but was a few seconds short.
Should Yu pick up a medal in any of the events, she would be the youngest swimmer since Denmark's Inge Sorensen won a medal a month after turning 12 at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
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