13岁“小孩姐”打破尘封13年的亚洲纪录
13-year-old Yu Zidi of north China’s Hebei Province won the women’s 200m individual medley (混合泳) at the country’s 15th National Games on Tuesday. Her time of 2 minutes 7.41 seconds broke the Asian record, which was set by Ye Shiwen at the 2012 London Olympics with 2 minutes 7.57 seconds.
Yu’s love for swimming started by chance when she was 6. During a hot summer, her dad took her to a water park to cool off, and she fell in love with the water. Later, she joined the Hebei Taihua Jinye Swimming Club to train seriously. At first, balancing training and studies was hard for her. When she was 11, she almost gave up swimming because of pressure. But she was inspired to come back after watching Ye Shiwen, who won two Olympic gold medals in 2012 when aged 16.
In May this year, at the women’s 200m butterfly final of the World Championships in Shenzhen, Yu Zidi delivered an amazing performance that drew wide attention. She won the championship with a time of 2 minutes 6.83 seconds, setting a new personal best. Also in the women’s 200m individual medley final, she took the silver medal in 2 minutes 10.63 seconds. She not only improved her personal best but also became the youngest swimmer in China’s swimming history to qualify for the World Championships.