2025 World Championships
- July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
- Singapore, Singapore
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History was made this evening in Singapore as 12-year-old Yu Zidi of China became the youngest-ever World Championships medalist.
Yu raced in the heats of the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay with her nation claiming the 3rd seed for tonight’s final. During the AM prelims, Yu posted a time of 1:59.28 as lead-off to help China earn its lane for the main event.
This evening, the foursome of Liu Yexin (1:55.94), Yang Peiqi (1:55.84), Yu Yiting (1:56.37) and Li Bingjie (1:54.84) combined to clock a time of 7:42.99 to ultimately give China the bronze.
Australia topped the podium in 7:39.35 followed by the United States who notched a new national record in 7:40.01.
Prelims swimmers are awarded the same medal a nation ultimately earns in a final, meaning Yu is now a World Championships bronze medalist and the youngest-ever to take home hardware.
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As we reported, according to Tom Decent of The Sydney Morning Herald, the only younger swimmer to compete at a World Championships was Bahrain’s Alzain Tareq, who raced at age 10 in 2015 under looser qualifying standards. Since then, the global governing body has required swimmers to hit a qualifying standard to compete if they’re under 14, versus going as a Universality selection.
Additionally, from SMH, ‘not since the 1936 Berlin Olympics has a swimmer won an international medal at a younger age. That honour belongs to Denmark’s Inge Sorensen, who picked up a bronze medal less than a month after turning 12.’
Yu also raced in the final of the women’s 200m butterfly this evening, where she placed 4th overall in a time of 2:06.43, just .31 outside the podium. Her effort overtook her former PB of 2:06.83 produced in May of this year.
The youngster also placed 4th in the 200m IM here in Singapore in a PB of 2:09.21
Asian National/Continental Records
- Li Bingjie, Women’s 400m freestyle (3:58.21) – Chinese & Asian Records
- Ching Hwee Gan, Women’s 400m freestyle (4:09.82) – Singapore Record; Women’s 800m freestyle (8:29.93) – Singapore Record; Women’s 1500m free (16:01.29) – Singapore Record
- Denis Petrashov, Men’s 100m breaststroke (58.88) – Kyrgyzstani Record
- Samiul Islam Rafi, Men’s 100m backstroke (58.36) – Bangladeshi Record
- Enkhatmir Batbayar, Men’s 200m freestyle (1:50.26) – Mongolian Record; Men’s 100m backstroke (57.25) – Mongolian Record
- Chen Juner, Men’s 200m butterfly (1:54.02) – Chinese Record
- Lee Juho, Men’s 200m backstroke (1:55.70) – Korean Record
- Jo Hyun-Ju, Women’s 200m freestyle (1:58.10) – Korean Record
Asian Medal Table Through Day Five of 2025 World Championships
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | China | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| 2 | Japan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | South Korea | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Krgyzstan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Overall Medal Table Through Day Five of 2025 World Championships
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 |
Australia
|
5 | 1 | 5 | 11 |
| 2 | U.S. | 4 | 10 | 4 | 18 |
| 3 | Canada | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 4 | Germany | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | France | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | Romania | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Italy | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 8 | China | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| 9 | NAB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | South Africa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Tunisia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Belgium | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Poland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Switzerland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | Hungary | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Japan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Kyrgyzstan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | South Korea | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Netherlands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Best performance at an international meet by a 12 year old since Duncan Scott in Fukuoka
I said somewhere else- MOC, aged 15, got a lot of 4th places at junior worlds in 2019. Plus a couple of relay medals. Look where she is at now! Yu could be the same.
A 15 year-old at Junior Worlds is not at all the same thing.
Right, 15yo at Jr worlds is a little young for it, but not…12yo at the full on senior WC unheard of
What was her time at Chinese trials / qualifications (might have been a relay swim as well)?
I think it was a lot faster than today’s 1.59
1:58.03
Funny that she gets a medal for her worst swim here.
Most impressive thing is her energy management through the rounds. Other than her near-miss in the 200 Fly semifinal she has executed the prelims and semis perfectly.
It is likely that in the semi she was trying to catch up with the pace of Summer but unfortunately failed.
And 400im is arguably her best event
And given who knows what we’ll get from the US contingent – not a slight, just how it’s been – that can open up some podium spots
Agree, but to be fair she’s 12, I’ve never heard of a 12 year old having energy issues