The Chinese Yu Zidi drew attention in Singapore on the opening day of the World Long Course Championships on Sunday. The swimming sensation made her debut at the age of 12 and did not do badly.
Yu has been noticed in China for some time with impressive times and started in the heats of the 200 meter individual medley. She clocked 2.11.90. That time was just enough to advance to the semi-finals.
Later at the World Championships, Yu will also start in the 200 meter butterfly and 400 meter individual medley. She is expected to have a better chance of going far in those two events. She qualified in times that would have just missed the podium at last year’s Olympic Games.
If Yu wins a medal in one of the individual events, she will equal a special record from 1936. Then the Danish Inge Sørensen won a bronze medal in the 200 meter breaststroke at the 1936 Olympic Games. Sørensen was only just twelve years old at the time.
Sørensen is the youngest ever with an individual swimming medal at a global tournament. Actually, the international swimming federation has a minimum age of fourteen years, but in exceptional cases an exception is made. That is what happened in Yu’s case.