12-year-old Yu Zidi of China takes stunning times to the world swimming championships
Yu Zidi of China is only 12 years old and will race at the world swimming championships later this month in Singapore.
That's amazing.
But her age is only part of the picture.
Not only is she very young, but her times in three events this year are among the best in the world. And here's the kicker. Those times would have been very close to medals in last year's Paris Olympics.
Again, she's 12. That's 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.
The world is watching
As promising young swimmers do, Yu is clocking personal bests almost each time she competes. Her PBs are more than just confidence boosters, they put her in sight of records, medals and stardom.
Yu has qualified in the 200- and 400-meter individual medleys, and the 200 butterfly. She could win a medal 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 by a 12-year-old swimmer — male or female — according to World Aquatics, the global governing body of the sport.
That was only the start. Her time of 2:06.83 in the 200 butterfly in 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 been good enough for gold in the 2024 worlds.
Again, Yu is 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 also would have been good for fourth place last year at the Olympics, just 0.6 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. She's a generational talent, the winner of three gold medals in Paris.
By comparison, Yu at 12 is swimming roughly 15 seconds faster in the 400 IM than McIntosh did at 12, and about 12 seconds faster in the 200 IM. In a 50-meter pool, 12 to 15 seconds would be a half-lap of the pool, depending on the event.
Yu is not the first young swimmer to excel, but it's how she's doing it — the stunning times and the promise of more to come.
Of course there are no guarantees of success, and young swimmers can burn out.
Started out as fun
Yu said she began swimming at 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 they say, as she 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 favorites,' 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 swam in the 2015 worlds at only 10. She finished last in her event. World Aquatics now has stricter age rules than a decade ago. Swimmers must be at least 14 unless their times meet qualification standards. In effect, this means there is no age limit.
Looking to LA Olympics
If Yu were to win Olympic gold in three years in Los Angeles, she would be 15. But that wouldn't make her the youngest swimmer to take gold.
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 tend to peak early, particularly females.
The specialty publication and website SwimSwam lists seven swimmers — all women — who won Olympic gold before they turned 15. Three, including Iwasaki, did it in individual events, and four got gold in relays.
American superstar Katie Ledecky was 15 years and 139 days when she won the 800 freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics — the first of her nine gold medals over four Olympics.
She's still swimming and is the overwhelming favorite to win the 1,500 meters in Singapore. Ledecky has the top 23 times in history in the event, and also No. 25.
For another jolting 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 is watching.
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Stephen Wade, The Associated Press
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