After helping China win bronze in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay in Singapore, 12-year-old Chinese schoolgirl Yu Zidi has become the youngest swimmer ever to take a medal at the World Aquatics Championships. Though she didn’t swim in the final, her inclusion in the heats guaranteed her podium finish.
This makes Yu the youngest medal winner at a worldwide swimming competition since Inge Sorensen of Denmark earned Olympic bronze in 1936, just after she turned 12.
Finishing fourth on both instances, Yu missed individual medals in both the 200m butterfly and individual medley finals—just 0.06 seconds short in the medley. Earlier in May, she had set a world record for her age group in the 200m individual medley with a time of 2:10.63.
Though her ascent has garnered much admiration, it has also raised worry. Yu was given an exemption even if the World Aquatics age minimum is 14 since she satisfied the elite ‘A’ qualifying criterion. Several authorities, including former world champion Karen Pickering, have voiced worry regarding the physical price early training might inflict, comparing it to overtrained young gymnasts.
Others, like Olympic bronze medalist Steve Parry, see her appearance as a good indication—so long as proper care is taken to safeguard her growth—likening it to the early careers of swimming greats like Sharron Davies and Michael Phelps.
Whether Yu’s early exposure indicates a success or a test for youth sport is still unknown. Her talent is undeniable.
