BEIJING, March 20 — Chinese swimming prodigy Yu Zidi continued to build on her rising reputation as the 13-year-old defeated multiple Olympic medallist Regan Smith in the women’s 200m butterfly with a personal-best time in Shenzhen.
BEIJING, March 20 — Chinese swimming prodigy Yu Zidi continued to build on her rising reputation as the 13-year-old defeated multiple Olympic medallist Regan Smith in the women’s 200m butterfly with a personal-best time in Shenzhen.
The schoolgirl first drew global attention last summer when, at just 12 years old, she became the youngest medallist in swimming world championships history.
At the China Open yesterday, Yu delivered a standout performance, winning the 200m butterfly in 2min 05.71sec and finishing ahead of American swimmer Smith.
Her time would have been enough to secure a podium finish at the world championships. Smith, who claimed silver behind Canada’s Summer McIntosh in the 200m butterfly at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a time of 2:03.84, finished second in the race.
The 24-year-old Smith is a highly decorated athlete, with a total of eight Olympic medals, including two golds.
The China Open, held in Shenzhen in southern China, has attracted a strong lineup of both local and international competitors. Yu is set to compete in five events, according to Chinese state media.
The Chinese team, including Yu, is preparing for the Asian Games scheduled for September to October in Japan.
At last year’s world championships in Singapore, Yu made history by winning bronze as part of China’s 4x200m freestyle relay team. She also placed fourth in each of her three individual events.
In November, she once again made headlines by setting a new Asian record at China’s National Games, clocking 2:07.41 to win gold in the 200m medley. — AFP
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