At the Chinese National Swimming Championships in Shenzhen, 11-year-old wonderkid Yu Zidi made a splash, finishing the women’s 400-meters individual medley a mere two seconds shy of the qualifying time for the Paris Olympics. Her time of four minutes and 40.97 seconds secured her second place in the final and would have earned her a spot at the World Aquatic Championships in Qatar in February. Notably, Yu’s time surpasses the Hong Kong record for the women’s 400m individual medley, previously held by Chloe Cheng since 2021. Despite her impressive performance, Yu finished as runner-up to Yu Yiting, who is 18 years old and was one of the 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The news of these positive tests has drawn attention from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which has initiated an independent review of the case. While Yu’s age prevents her from competing at the Paris Olympics in July, she is participating in 10 events at the Shenzhen championships. Her participation highlights her dedication and the immense potential she holds in the sport. In the 400m freestyle on April 19, Yu clocked a time of 4:10.73 in the heats and 4:12.10 in the final, finishing seventh. Her time in the heats was 2.83 seconds off the Olympic qualifying standard. Despite not meeting the Olympic qualifying time in the 400m freestyle, Yu’s times in both the medley and freestyle events would place her among the top swimmers in the United States, ranking 11th and 12th fastest respectively. Notably, Yu’s journey to success began when she was scouted at a swimming meet at the age of nine and offered the opportunity to train at Club Swimming in Hengshui. Since joining the club in December 2021, she has consistently improved her performance, shaving five seconds off her previous 400m individual medley time at the Chinese Spring National Championships in March. While the club does not have specific competition goals for Yu this year due to her age, her achievements have drawn comparisons to Ye Shiwen, who won gold in the 400m and 200m medley at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Yu’s potential and the support she receives from her club and fans indicate that she is a rising star to watch in the world of swimming.
11-Year-Old Yu Zidi Makes Waves at Chinese National Swimming Championships
