13-Year-Old Yu Zidi Wins Second Asian Games Gold and Sets New Record
Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail
China’s 13-year-old swimmer Yu Zidi continued her impressive run at the 2026 Asian Games by winning her second gold medal in two days and setting another Games record in Tokyo on Monday.
Yu won the women’s 200m individual medley in 2 minutes and 6.10 seconds, finishing 0.72 seconds faster than the previous Asian Games record.
Her time was also just 0.40 seconds outside the world record held by Canada’s Summer McIntosh and was the fastest time recorded globally this year.
Yu finished ahead of compatriot Yu Yuting, while Japan’s Mio Narita took the bronze medal.
The victory came a day after Yu won gold in the women’s 200m butterfly. She said she was particularly pleased with her second gold and credited her team for the result.
Rising Young Swimming Talent
Yu has already established herself on the international stage despite her young age.
In 2025, she became the youngest swimmer to win a medal at the world championships after taking bronze as part of China’s 4x200m freestyle relay team at the age of 12.
She also narrowly missed individual medals in three events at those championships, finishing fourth each time.
The teenager has continued to make progress this year, including a notable victory over American Olympic champion Regan Smith in March.
Yu said she was still working on different aspects of her technique and believed there were areas where she could continue improving.
China Strong in the Pool
China continued to collect medals across the swimming programme at the Asian Games.
In the men’s 100m breaststroke, Japan’s Shin Ohashi and China’s Dong Zhihao finished with exactly the same time of 58.64 seconds and shared the gold medal.
Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey successfully defended her women’s 200m freestyle title with a time of 1:54.96.
South Korea’s Kim Young-beom set a Games record of 21.66 seconds while winning the men’s 50m freestyle.
China also secured gold in the men’s 50m backstroke, women’s 50m backstroke and men’s 4x200m freestyle relay.
Other Asian Games Highlights
In shooting, Olympic champion Sheng Lihao successfully defended his men’s 10m air rifle title, while China also won both available team gold medals.
In badminton, Thailand’s Pitchamon Opatniputh was provisionally suspended after the International Testing Agency reported a positive test for the banned substance furosemide.
Meanwhile, the women’s football match between North Korea and South Korea ended in a 1-1 draw in Shizuoka.
The Asian Games also featured Palestine’s debut in baseball. Although Palestine lost 12-0 to the Philippines, team representatives said participating in the tournament was significant for their players and supporters.
The 2026 Asian Games are providing athletes from across the continent with an opportunity to compete across a wide range of sports ahead of future international competitions.
