Yu Zidi has taken down her first Asian senior record at the age of 13 years and one month.

The youngest World-titles podium placer in history, Yu fell just shy of bronze in two solo events and claimed her first senior global long-course championships medal, a bronze, as a member of the China 4x200m freestyle team in Singapore back in July and August aged 12.

Yu, allowed to swim because of a FINA/World Aquatics loophole (written for political reasons not athlete welfare) despite being too young to compete at the World Junior Championships, clocked 2:07.41 in the 200m medley on day 2 at the Chinese National Games in Shenzhen.

Yu's latest progress took down the 13-year-old Asian standard of London 2012 Olympic champion Ye Shiwen, who clocked 2:07.57 at the age of 16 in the same week in which she sparked controversy by becoming the first woman in Olympic swimming history to race the closing 100m of any final for females as fast as not just one but five of the men in the equivalent 400m medley final. Those five include the man who claimed gold for the USA, Ryan Lochte, who stopped the clock in the fastest time in the event's history in a textile suit.

For different reasons, Yu has also made headlines across the world in a year that will end with her becoming a senior Asian swimming record holder 11 months before her 14th birthday: another first.

A few months ago, still 12, she fell just 0.06sec shy of the podium in the Singapore final, after which the SOS report on Summer McIntosh's victory for Canada, included this:

Drunk on a sobering youth in intensive training, history maker Yu Zidi, the first 12-year-old at the World Championships, the first to make a final, the first to race seven rivals with an average age of almost 23, the first 12-year-old in any global waters capable pop racing the best of the best for almost a century, thundered back from seventh at the last turn to ... almost the podium.

Just 0.06sec shy she fell, in 2:09.21. At 12! 200IM

Yu was born a couple of months after Ye became Olympic champion in London. Since then, no Chinese swimmer has raced faster than the 2012 winner, who never managed to replicate quite the same ferocity of performance again through ought her career.

The splits compared:

• 27.78; 32.23; 37.33; 30.07 - 2:07.41 Yu Zidi - Shenzhen, National Games 11.11. 25 - gold, Asian record
• 28.16; 32.09; 37.08; 29.55s - 2:07.57 Ye Shiwen - London, Olympic Games, 31.07.12 - gold and Olympic/Asian record

Yu Yiting - seven years older than Yu - was close, on 2:08.30, having liked the race at a pace well inside Ye's 2012 standard before paying the price on freestyle:

• 26.80; 32.46; 38.23 (still 0.15sec up on Yu); 30.81 - 2:08.30.

Here's the podium in Shenzhen, with third and fourth place occupied by other exceptionally young swimmers, both born the year before Yu:

Women's 200 IM
Yu Zidi 2:07.41 - Asian Record
Yu Yiting 2:08.30
Chang Mohan 2:11.51

Yu's swim makes her 9th on the all-time list for the 200IM, one place ahead of Ye, who slips one place to 10th.

The final in full:

Race Video from Chinese TV:

More On Yu Zidi:

Who’s Yu? We Take A Look As Zidi, 12, Swiftest Pre-Teen In History, Makes China’s World-Titles Team

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China’s Yu Zidi, The First 12-Year-Old Ever In A Global Title Tilt Tonight, Is Too Young To Hold World Junior Records

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In other finals on day 2 at the National Games:

Men's 100 breast
Qin Haiyang 58.98
Zheng Yinghao 59.47
Yan Zibei 59.49

Women's 100 fly
Zhang Yufei 56.88
Wang Yichun 57.60
Wang Jingzhuo 57.94

Men's 50 fly
Wang Changhao 23.30
Xu Fang 23.45
Shen Jiahao 23.58

Semis

Men's 100 back
Xu Jiayu 52.70
Jiang Chenglin 54.21
Wang Zicheng 54.37

Women's 100 breast
Tang Qianting 1:06.31
Yang Chang 1:07.20
Song Zixin 1:07.75

Women's 100 back
Wan Letian 59.71
Lu Xingchen 1:00.20
Peng Xuwei 1:00.34

Men's 200 free
Zhang Zhanshuo 1:46.89
Fei Liwei 1:47.46
Ji Xinjie 1:47.53
Pan Zhanle 1:47.68
Liu Peixin 1:47.68
Zhao Yipu 1:47.74
Xu Haibo 1:47.94
Sun Yang* 1:48.30

• - * - swimmer fell foul of anti-doping rules twice in his career

Coaches McNulty, Bowie and Jegou Honoured For Excellence On Day 2 Of BSCA Awards Week

Coaches Nathan Jegou, Laura Bowie and Nathan Jegou have been honoured for excellence in 2025 on day 2 of the British Swimming Coaches Association Awards week.

McNulty (Aquatics GB Bath NPC), one of Britain's most successful coaches ever, was awarded a BSCA Coaching Award of Excellence 2025 for the part he played as coach to members of the GB Team who retained the World Championship Men’s 4x200 free at the World Championships.

Bowie (Aberdeen Dolphins SC) was also honoured with a BSCA Coaching Award of Excellence 2025, in recognition of her excellent work with Dean Fearn, who is the 50m Butterfly World Junior Champion, touching home in 23.54 for the event.

Jegou (Tigers of Jersey SC) was also awarded a BSCA Coaching Award of Excellence 2025, in recognition of his work in developing Filip Nowacki in Jersey, and recommending him to join a programme where he could develop to become the swimmer he has this year at both Junior & Senior levels. Yesterday, Keiron Piper was awarded the BSCA's Youth Coach of the Year for his work with the same swimmer, at Millfield (see that and other awards lower down in the Vortex.)

Also in the Vortex:

• Coaches Piper & Thompson Honoured By BSCA As Awards Week Gets Underway
• Zhang Zhanshuo Sets WJR 3:42.82 In 400 Free Chinese National Games Get Underway in Shenzhen
• Filip Nowacki To Make Senior GB Debut Among 17 selected For Europe S/C Champs in Poland
• Vanotterdijk, Gaspard & Verreth Set Belgian S/C Records
• Summer McIntosh Joins Team Arena
• Komoróczy Breaks Hosszu’s Hungarian S/C 'Fly Dash Mark
• Carol ‘Penny’ Taylor Passes Away At 96
• Dávid Betlehem 1st To Break 14:30 s/c 1500 free this season
• U.S. Pro Swim Format Tweaked for 2026 Season
• Walshe, Wiffen & NíRiain Lift Athlete Of Year Honours At Swim Ireland Awards - & Sweeney Is Top Coach

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