Yu Zidi sets Asian Games record in 200m butterfly gold medal swim at age 13

Record swim in Tokyo

Thirteen-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi won the gold medal in the women's 200-metre butterfly on Sunday during the opening day of competition at the Asian Games in Japan. Racing at the Tokyo aquatics facility, Yu completed the final in 2:05.08 to establish a new Asian Games record in the event. Her winning time took almost half a second off the previous competition mark of 2:05.57, which had been set three years earlier at the Asian Games in Hangzhou by her compatriot Zhang Yufei. Yu established control over the race early and extended her lead through the closing laps, ultimately finishing 3.36 seconds ahead of silver medallist and Chinese teammate Chang Mohan, aged 15. Twenty-year-old Japanese swimmer Misa Okuzono finished third to complete the podium and claim the bronze medal.

Technical self-assessment

The victory secured Yu her first gold medal at a senior international multi-sport championship, yet the swimmer offered a restrained assessment of her execution in the pool. Speaking with a smile after stepping off the medal podium, she described her performance as only so-so and stated that her butterfly stroke mechanics remained incomplete.

I need to lower my head earlier, reach further forward and improve my leg movement. There are things I need to work on.

Yu had lowered her personal best time by 0.9 seconds during Sunday's final in Tokyo. Despite the time drop and the margin of victory, she maintained that technical adjustments in daily training would yield faster times in subsequent international appearances.

I hope I can swim even faster. I improved my time by 0.9 seconds here, and I believe I will perform better next time.

International competitive trajectory

The gold medal performance in Tokyo continues a rapid rise for Yu across senior international swimming over the past 18 months. In 2025, at the age of 12, she became the youngest medallist in the history of the World Aquatics Championships when she earned a bronze medal as part of China's 4x200-metre freestyle relay squad. At that same world championship meet, Yu also achieved fourth-place finishes in three separate individual events. Her international profile grew further in March 2026 when she defeated multiple Olympic gold medallist Regan Smith in competition. With the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles scheduled less than two years away, her progression has positioned her among China's most prominent young athletes.

Program and upcoming races

The 200-metre butterfly represented the opening race of Yu's schedule at the 2026 Asian Games. While the wider Asian Games are hosted in the Nagoya region of Japan, swimming events are being staged at competition venues in Tokyo. Yu, who will celebrate her 14th birthday in October, is scheduled to compete in two additional individual races during the remainder of the competition. Her upcoming entries at the Tokyo pool include the 200-metre individual medley and the 400-metre individual medley.