2025 CHINESE NATIONAL SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- May 17-24, 2025
- Shenzhen, China
- LCM (50 meters)
- Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap/Day 3 Recap/Day 4 Recap
- Results
🇨🇳2025年全国游泳冠军赛
女子200Fly
于子迪 2:06.83中国12歳の天才少女
🇨🇳于子迪 Yu Zidiユ・ズディが2:06.83、12歳にしてパリ五輪この種目4位相当のとんでもない記録！！🤯🤯
これは今年の日本選手権優勝タイムを2.27秒上回る記録です😱 https://t.co/qvD3ZFd8iV pic.twitter.com/docFz6WlXc
— 競泳NEWS (@swimcoverage) May 21, 2025
Video courtesy of @swimcoverage
As if 12-year-old Yu Zidi‘s eye-popping times of 2:10.63 in the women’s 200m IM final and 2:08.52 in the women’s 200m fly semi-final at these Chinse National Swimming Championships weren’t enough, the otherworldly performer entered entirely new territory with a winning effort during tonight’s session.
Racing in the final of the 200m fly, Yu cranked out a remarkable performance of 2:06.83 to top the podium and qualify for the World Championships.
Yu split 28.18/32.52 (1:00.70)/32.86/33.27 en route to grabbing the gold ahead of her seasoned competitors. Ma Yonghui settled for silver well back in 2:08.04 while Gong Zhenqi earned bronze in 2:08.61.
As we mentioned yesterday, for perspective, the reigning U.S. National Age Group Record for 11-12-year-old girls rests at the 2:15.02 Cassidy Bayer established in 2012. Additionally, the 11-12-year-old boys’ benchmark sits at 2:11.07 from Dean Jones in 2018. Yu surpassed both of these by a significant margin to now rank 14th in the world on the season.
Yu’s monster 2:06.83, however, now surpasses the U.S. National Age Group Record for even 13-14-year-old girls. That legendary benchmark stands as the then-world-record-setting time of 2:07.01 Mary T. Meagher put on the books in 1979.
For additional perspective, the youngster’s result would have placed only .05 outside of bronze at the 2023 World Championships but would have garnered gold at last year’s edition in Doha, surpassing winner Laura Stephens’ (GBR) mark of 2:07.35.
At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Yu would have finished 4th overall.
The women’s 4x200m freestyle relay concluded tonight’s final session and Yu led off her squad with a big-time PB of 1:58.03. She split 27.60/30.09/30.25/30.09 for the rapid outing.
Yu Zidi‘s Performances Thus Far at Chinese Nationals
- 54.78 100m freestyle, relay leadoff
- 2:10.63 200m IM
- 1:58.03 200m freestyle, relay leadoff
- 2:06.83 200m fly
Why isn’t she swimming at the enhanced games?
Zidi latest swam 800 free 8:51.30, PB by less than a sec
Not a PB she swam 8:45.47 last year but still a solid swim
Didn’t she swim a 8:45.47 at Olympic Trials last year?
This is a triumph of human accomplishment. Congratulations Zidi.
imo this is more impressive than whatever the enhanced games can put up
I ate a taco and that’s more impressive than the enhanced games
I just went to the bathroom in less than 20.89 seconds…where’s my million dollar check???
Welcome to China, these children live in camps (like many other sports), their lives are 100% regulated. How many hours a week / day do you think they train 30? 40? 50? Has this child ever submitted a hair, blood or other sample to independent testing? Just because others are not winning does not mean that they are not also doping. The regimes that young athletes are under in China would have the social services involved in many countries. Have you noticed how many of these swimmers look the same? They are recruited from the villages and provinces by government and state sponsored officials, these swimmers do not come from wealthy and influential families. There will be thousands of young… Read more »
shame on you
Truth hurts sometimes Flavio!
Lol
Lmao, don’t pretend you actually care about Chinese swimmers wellbeing. If Yu wasn’t producing these results you couldn’t care less if this was true, which it’s not. Just using it as an excuse to point fingers instead of celebrate her achievements.
What you said was partially true 40 to 15 years ago, but the current elite swimmers in China generally come from decent-enough if not well-off families. If you’re looking for a sport that’s still too rough for rich kids, weightlifting might fit your stereotype better. Though it might be hard for you to believe, more and more Chinese kids participate in sports out of passion rather than desperation. As to the “lack of personality”, I don’t think you know them well enough to make a responsible judgement. And dedication and discipline shouldn’t be mistaken for a lack of individuality.
This is my perception as well. The “Work camps for kids from poverty” is more 19xx Hollywood movie image than 20xx PRC reality. Oh, I am sure there are abusive coaches, we have plenty of them here in the US too.
Yep.
Most elite Chinese swimmers today come from well off families unlike in.the past. The Chinese government is building out swimming pools in high schools and Universities all over China so the sport itself is becoming more assesiblle than in the past. The same is happening in gymnastics with the “happy gymnastics ” movement in China.
The only two sports where the “poor” kid stereotype still persists is weightlifting and maybe diving.
All other sports in China are increasingly becoming the domain of the middle class/upper
class.
This is just one example of the many new swimming pools being built in high schools and Universities all over China.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.archdaily.com/1003038/natatorium-of-southeast-university-seu-arch-zhou-qi-studio&ved=2ahUKEwib24bzqbeNAxVXFzQIHWstCJoQFnoECCAQAQ&usg=AOvVaw08BPkNiOgUgArvs2H9iqph
Since we’re on the topic of the W 200 fly, this is definitely one of the events where eliminating semifinals makes a lot of sense, every time we run a prelims session that eliminates like 5 people and just wastes athletes’ energy
Holy moly this girl is insane!
Did you notice the double-beat kick?? – Incredible!
If she doesn’t stop improving for at least 5 years, we are seeing a new generational talent so soon after Summer McIntosh.
There’s also a generational talent on the men’s side around the same age gap from Leon Marchand as Zidi is from Summer. Shows how quickly the sport changes and talent emerges
who
Yeah and if she’s improving then we’re seeing the opponent for Summer in the future.