China prodigy takes on swimming world aged 12
Yu, who turns 13 in October, clocked a blistering 2min 10.63sec in the women's 200m individual medley, the fastest time in history at that age.
She then romped to victory in the 400m medley in 4:35.53, which would have been enough for fourth place at the Paris Olympics last summer.
Yu also triumphed in the 200m butterfly in another scarcely believable swim that would again have only narrowly missed out on a medal in Paris.
Her performances easily qualified her for the world championships in Singapore.
Yu, who trains in the northern province of Hebei and juggles swimming with her school work, took up the sport as a means of escaping China's searing heat.
"The summer that year was too hot, so I went to the water park with my dad," she told the state news agency Xinhua.
"I often went to cool off at swimming pools... (and) a coach discovered me."
Swimming, homework and coping with the pressure of being China's latest big sporting hope makes for a hectic schedule for the youngster.
"I am very busy every day and I don't have much time, but it's also very fulfilling," Yu said, according to Xinhua.
Yu first came to national attention last year and drew comparisons at home to Ye Shiwen, who at 16 in London became the youngest Chinese swimmer to win a medal at the Olympics.
As well as her speed and stamina, Yu's Hebei coach Li Chao has praised her "good sense" and said her focus "far exceeds her peers".
Michael Bohl, China's storied Australian swimming coach, went much further.
"I've never seen a 12-year-old that could swim like this," he told Chinese state broadcaster CCTV in May.
Team doping shadow
Perhaps with an eye on the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, China have named their youngest squad for a swimming world championships, according to expert website SwimSwam.
Along with Yu, the headline acts in the squad are men's 100m freestyle world record holder and Olympic champion Pan Zhanle, and Qin Haiyang and Zhang Yufei.
Qin cleaned up in the breaststroke at the worlds in 2023, only to fail to win a medal in individual events at the Paris Games last summer.
He did though win gold and silver in medley relays.
"Butterfly Queen" Zhang has won 10 Olympic medals, among them 200m fly gold at Tokyo in 2021.
China entered the Paris Olympics under a doping cloud following revelations that 23 of its swimmers had tested positive for a banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Games.
In April 2024, The New York Times and German broadcaster ARD said they had tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) at a domestic competition in late 2020 and early 2021.
Chinese anti-doping authorities determined the 23 had ingested trace amounts of the drug unwittingly from tainted food at their hotel.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted that explanation and did not sanction the swimmers, which led US anti-doping authorities to accuse WADA of a cover-up. WADA denies this.
Nine of the swimmers who failed doping tests are competing in Singapore, including Qin and Zhang.
© 2025 AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
US sprinter Kerley out of US trials
Kerley, a two-time Olympic 100m medallist and world champion in 2022, announced his withdrawal on social media. "The 100m should be a straight sprint," Kerley wrote. "2025 has presented many hurdles. Taking some time out to get back on track. No USATF Champs this year. Thanks to all my supporters." Kerley, 30, was a silver medallist in the 100m at the Tokyo Olympics and won bronze in the event in Paris last year. In 2022 he stormed to gold at the world championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, the venue for this week's US championships, which doubles as trials for the World Championships. Kerley had clocked a respectable 9.98sec for the 100m in May. However his season has been overshadowed by controversy away from the track. In early May he withdrew from the Grand Slam Track meeting in Miami after being arrested for battery. In January he was arrested by police in Miami Beach following a confrontation with officers that led to him being tasered. He was subsequently charged with battery against a police officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Separately in January, Kerley was also charged with domestic violence by strangulation following an incident in May 2024.
LeMonde
9 hours ago
- LeMonde
Léon Marchand smashes 200m medley world record
France's Léon Marchand smashed the 200m individual medley world record in Singapore on Wednesday, setting a new mark of 1 min 52.69 sec. Swimming in the semi-finals at the world championships, the 23-year-old took more than a second off the previous record of 1:54.00 set by Ryan Lochte in 2011. Marchand beat Michael Phelps's long-standing 400m medley record at the world championships in Japan two years ago. "Actually I can't believe it right now," said Marchand, who won four individual golds in front of his home fans at the Paris Olympics a year ago. "I knew I was going to be close to my PB [personal best] because I felt really good today and preparation has been pretty good. But 1:52 is unbelievable for me." Marchand took an extended break from swimming after his Paris Olympics heroics and only returned to competition in May. He is focusing on the medley events in Singapore and had said he was going for Lochte's record. Marchand got his world championship campaign under way on Wednesday morning, clocking a time of 1:57.63 in the heats. He said he would go all-out for the record in the semi-finals rather than conserve his energy for Thursday's final. "It was good, I swam well, I think I pretty much did what I wanted to do," Marchand said after his morning heat. "There are a few technical details that I'll go over with my coach, things I can improve on for tonight." Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content
France 24
9 hours ago
- France 24
'Can't believe it': Marchand shatters long-standing world record
Swimming in the semi-finals at the world championships, the 23-year-old Frenchman took more than a second off the previous record of 1:54.00 set by Ryan Lochte in 2011. Marchand beat Michael Phelps's long-standing 400m medley record at the world championships in Japan two years ago. "Actually I can't believe it right now," said Marchand, who won four individual golds in front of his home fans at the Paris Olympics. "I knew I was going to be close to my PB (personal best) because I felt really good today and preparation has been pretty good. "But 1:52 is unbelievable for me." Marchand took an extended break from swimming after Paris and only returned to competition in May. He is focusing on the individual medley events in Singapore and had said he was gunning for Lochte's record. Marchand got his world championships campaign under way on Wednesday morning, clocking a time of 1:57.63 in the heats. He said he would go all-out for the record in the semi-finals rather than conserve his energy for Thursday's final. 'Whirlwind' In Wednesday's finals, Tunisia's Ahmed Jaouadi won the 800m freestyle thanks to a perfectly timed attack. Jaouadi made his move midway through the race and eased away to touch the wall in 7min 36.88sec, ahead of German pair Sven Schwarz (7:39.96) and 400m champion Lukas Maertens (7:40.19). Jaouadi, who finished fourth at last year's Paris Olympics, clocked the third-fastest time ever. "At some point I saw that the rhythm wasn't that fast so I decided to just go and make the move," said the 20-year-old Ireland's Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen finished last. Australia's Olympic champion Mollie O'Callaghan was just as emphatic in romping to victory in the women's 200m freestyle in 1:53.48. Second was China's Li Bingjie (1:54.52) and third Claire Weinstein of the United States (1:54.67). O'Callaghan said it had been a "whirlwind". Since winning gold at the Paris Games, O'Callaghan has been injured and had some badly needed time to recharge. She has spoken about struggling to live up to the hype since Paris. "I know it's been hard for a lot of people to come back after the Olympics but very grateful to have a good support team behind me to get me through this mentally and physically," said the 21-year-old. Luca Urlando of the United States celebrated the biggest title of his career with gold in the 200m butterfly in 1:51.87. Italy's Simone Cerasuolo pipped Russian Kirill Prigoda to 50m breaststroke gold, touching home in 26.54sec. A "neutral athletes" team made up of Russian swimmers won the mixed 4x100m medley relay, finishing ahead of China and Canada.
