'Emotional' Yu, 12, celebrates historic world swimming medal
China's Yu Zidi said she felt "quite emotional" after the 12-year-old became the youngest swimmer in history to win a world championships medal.
Yu swam in the heats of the women's 4x200m freestyle relay but missed Thursday's final as China claimed bronze behind Australia and the United States in Singapore.
Yu, who was competing in the women's 200m butterfly final on Thursday -- finishing fourth -- received a medal as a member of the Chinese relay team.
"It feels quite emotional, it's a nice feeling," she said.
Yu has turned heads with her performances in Singapore.
She qualified for Monday's 200m individual medley final and finished fourth, missing out on a medal by just 0.06sec in what is not considered her strongest event.
She followed that up with another fourth in the 200m butterfly final and will also compete in the 400m individual medley.
Yu, who turns 13 in October, discovered swimming at age six as a way to cool off during China's roasting summers.
She has drawn historical comparisons to Denmark's Inge Sorensen, who at 12 was the youngest-ever winner of an Olympic swimming medal with bronze at the Berlin Games of 1936.
But not everyone thinks Yu should be competing in Singapore.
Some in the sport have raised questions about the mental and physical impacts of high-level training and competing at an age when she is still developing as a person.
Under current World Aquatics rules, the minimum age is 14 but younger swimmers can compete at the championships if -- like Yu -- they are fast enough.
amk/sco
Originally published as 'Emotional' Yu, 12, celebrates historic world swimming medal
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Trump creates task force to prepare for LA Olympics
President Donald Trump has established a task force on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics that he says will ensure the event is "safe, seamless and historically successful". The 2028 Games will be the first Olympics hosted by the US since the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Setting up the task force reflects the intense planning that comes with hosting the Olympics, as well as Trump's desire to be involved in an event he considers one of the highlights of his term. "The LA Olympics is shaping up to be a wonderful moment for America. It's going to be incredible. It's so exciting," Trump said on Tuesday (local time) as he signed an executive order at the White House establishing the task force. The executive order calls for the task force to co-ordinate security and planning for the Games, and to streamline visa processing and credentialling for the athletes, coaches, media and other visitors coming to the US. "We'll do anything necessary to keep the Olympics safe," Trump said, adding that could potentially include deploying "our National Guard or military". Earlier this year, Trump sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles to respond to immigration protests. Trump will serve as chair of the task force, with Vice President JD Vance vice chair. Other members include a number of Cabinet secretaries and administration officials, such as Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. Also present were Olympic champion gymnast Nastia Liukin and Brad Snyder, a swimmer who competed at the 2012 Paralympic Games. Trump "considers it a great honor to oversee this global sporting spectacle", White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, calling sports one of the president's "greatest passions". During the signing event, LA28 president and chair Casey Wasserman presented Trump with a set of gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1984 Olympic Games held in Los Angeles. "Can I say I won them athletically?" Trump asked, as he displayed the medals to an audience of reporters. Wasserman said the task force "marks an important step forward in our planning efforts and reflects our shared commitment to delivering not just the biggest, but the greatest Games the world has ever seen". Along with the 2028 Olympics, Trump has said the 2026 FIFA World Cup being hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico is among the events he's most looking forward to in his second term.
7NEWS
2 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Chris Scott hits out at ‘comedy' of AFL's ‘shocking contradiction'
Geelong coach Chris Scott has called out the AFL 's 'shocking contradiction' after threatening to blacklist the league's media arm. The premiership winner was forced to address star recruit Bailey Smith's fitness last week in response to the AFL website publishing audio of a conversation between the pair. Scott said he had understood audio was not being recorded and described it as a 'blatant intrustion'. 'If they keep doing that stuff, we won't let them in,' he said in a pre-match press conference. 'Because it was so misleading, the way that was reported. It was just not true.' The issue did not go further but Scott has now expanded on his issue with the situation, calling out the blurred lines of the AFL and its media arm. Speaking on Channel 7's The Agenda Setters, he said he remains 'annoyed by it — and I'm going to contradict myself — for about five seconds'. 'If I'm going to be recorded you should let us know — and that's not the deal. They're coming in there to get vision,' Scott said. 'If they're secretly recording us, no worries, it's open slater, we're just not going to let you in.' The dual premiership coach said in fact his frustrations lie with 'the broader issue' of what the AFL asks of football departments. Scott has been a vocal critic of the soft cap, which was cut during COVID but will be increased next year in part influenced by the Cats coach's situation. 'The AFL, it's a comedy in the context of soft cap cuts and all the changes post-COVID,' he said. 'But the AFL keep layering stuff on top of the clubs in relation to the broadcast. 'I don't (think it's unfair) — I think it should be promoted but not at the expense of footy departments. 'At the same time they're saying we're going to increase obligations on you, while we're cutting the soft cap. That's a shocking contradiction. 'So when AFL Media — and they pretend there's this Chinese wall (from the AFL itself), I would question that — but when they do stuff like that, that compromises the relationship between the club. 'And I'd say our club has a great relationship with the media. We don't always get on but that's what makes it a good relationship, we can have back-and-forth.' Scott immediately reflected that he was 'inflaming' the matter because he had only 'thought about it for five seconds'. Clearly, though, it still rankled that Cats supporters were left to believe Smith had another hamstring problem. 'I wouldn't normally clarify this but he was actually saying 'it's not my hammy, I've got a bit of a tight adductor, I'm going to do some run-throughs,' Scott said. 'So then the media would say why don't you be more transparent with us and we go around in circles. 'I'm not doing a very good job of showing that I'm not annoyed (laughs).'
Perth Now
7 hours ago
- Perth Now
Olympic cycling champ Evenepoel moves to rival outfit
Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel will leave the team where he became one of the best riders of his generation to join Red Bull?BORA?hansgrohe from next season. The 25-year-old Belgian rider informed Soudal Quick-Step that he would not extend his contract, which was due to expire at the end of 2026. The team has agreed to release him early. "After taking some time to consult with our sponsors and partners, the team's ownership and management have decided that it is in the best interest of everyone to agree that Remco can move at the end of the current 2025 season," Soudal Quick-Step said on Tuesday. Evenepoel signed with Soudal Quick-Step at a young age after the squad's former manager Patrick Lefevere spotted his immense potential. Under Lefevere's supervision, Evenepoel won prestigious races, including the 2022 Vuelta a Espana two stages of the Tour de France and two titles at Liege-Bastogne-Li?ge. He finished third at the 2024 Tour de France but withdrew from this year's edition. Widely considered the best time trialist in the world, Evenepoel remains focused on winning more Grand Tours. Evenepoel's move will strengthen Red Bull?BORA?hansgrohe, where he will team up with Primoz Roglic and Florian Lipowitz, who finished third in last month's Tour de France. In Paris, Evenepoel become the first rider to sweep the road race and time trial at the Summer Games.
