12-year-old swimmer Yu Zidi becomes youngest to win medal at worlds
Yu swam in the heats of the women's 4x200-meter 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 200 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 200 individual medley final and finished fourth, missing out on a medal by just 0.06 seconds in what is not considered her strongest event.
She followed that up with another fourth-place finish in the 200 butterfly final and will also compete in the 400 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 in 1936.
But not everyone thinks Yu should be competing in Singapore.
Some in the sport have raised questions about the mental and physical impact 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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NHK
3 hours ago
- NHK
Women's British Open champion Yamashita Miyu expresses gratitude to family
Japanese golfer Yamashita Miyu -- this year's Women's British Open champion -- has expressed gratitude for her family's support. Attending a news conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Tuesday, Yamashita said she was full of emotion when she sank the final putt. She won her first major overseas title on Sunday. Yamashita said her childhood dream came true and that she wants to win more tournaments. She talked about her family, especially her father who has been coaching her since she was little. Yamashita said her father is good at coaching and that she trusts him. She said he has always stood by her and she wanted to show her gratitude by achieving the best result. Yamashita was tearful when she said she is happy that she won the title with him.
Japan Times
4 hours ago
- Japan Times
Central League votes to adopt designated hitter rule from 2027
The Central League will adopt the designated hitter rule in 2027, it announced Monday night, ending the practice of pitchers hitting and bringing the league in line with the Pacific League and most of the world after decades of resistance. The six CL clubs voted unanimously in favor of the change during a board meeting in Tokyo. The change means NPB's two leagues will operate under the same set of rules for the first time since the PL adopted the DH in 1975. Currently, the DH is only in effect during PL games and when interleague and Japan Series contests are hosted in PL parks. The CL is one of the few leagues around the world where pitchers still hit. The system was first introduced by the American League in MLB in 1973 as a way to drive up offense and attendance. The National League, similar to the CL, held out for decades — with the exception of a temporary adoption during the 2020 season as part of COVID-19 protocols — before MLB introduced a universal DH rule in 2022. Over the years, the PL and leagues in South Korea, Taiwan and many other countries adopted the DH system. The DH is also used during the World Baseball Classic, the Premier12 and other international competitions. In Japan, the collegiate Tokyo Big6 Baseball League will introduce the DH next spring, as will its counterpart in Kansai and the Japan High School Baseball Federation. 'As one of the world's leading baseball nations, along with MLB, it is important for NPB to have a flexible approach to global trends,' NPB Commissioner Sadayuki Sakakibara said in a statement on Monday. Some in the CL had been calling for the league to introduce the DH for years. Former Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara has been a very vocal proponent. After his team was swept by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the 2019 Japan Series, he said the DH contributed to the relative strength of the PL and had greatly aided the development of Pa League pitchers. The CL decision mostly ends what had been a heated debate between traditionalists who prefer the game without the DH and those in favor of the system. The argument against the DH often centers around strategy — the in-game chess match of double switches, pinch hitters and more that can occur late in games. The other main pillar of the argument is that playing without the DH is baseball in its purest form. Eliminating the DH also removes the drama and excitement that comes from a pitcher helping his own cause with an unexpected big hit, like the two-run double the Hiroshima Carp's Shohei Mori hit against the Hanshin Tigers last week. Those in favor of the DH say hits like Mori's are such a rarity that they should not factor into the argument. They feel that fans would rather see more competitive at-bats instead of pitchers striking out and making weak contact more often than not. The DH rule can also help extend careers, proponents say, as players can remain in the lineup regularly without the rigors of playing defense. Pitchers are also able to focus on pitching without needing to work on their batting. The 2026 season will give teams the chance to think about how they will construct their rosters ahead of the change. 'Next season's CL pennant race will be the last one where pitchers bat,' Sakakibara said. 'I hope everyone watches it from that perspective as well.' While the CL acknowledged that a portion of its fanbase may not welcome the change, officials say it helps the game move forward. 'The Central League's decision to adopt the DH system from the 2027 season and take on a new challenge in baseball is a big step forward for NPB as we look toward the future,' Sakakibara said.
Japan Times
a day ago
- Japan Times
Return of Munetaka Murakami could get hearts racing at Jingu Stadium again
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows fell back to Earth last week after an inexplicable winning streak left fans daring to dream of a late-season turnaround for the Central League's last-place team. Yakult won eight straight games before hitting the wall — and hitting it hard — with a 14-1 blowout loss against the DeNA BayStars on July 31 and two subsequent defeats against the Hanshin Tigers. The Swallows bounced back with an 8-1 win over the Tigers on Sunday. If the winning streak set hearts racing, the ensuing three-game swoon likely left the Jingu Stadium faithful barely registering a pulse. The Swallows are 33-53-5 with 46 games left and dangerously close to only having pride to play for the rest of the way. The injury-plagued Swallows, though — thanks to some key returns and a new addition — could still make the rest of the year more interesting than anyone should really expect from a team 20 games under .500. The main reason is the return of Munetaka Murakami. The two-time Central League MVP had been planning to leave NPB with a bang before heading to the majors in the offseason. Instead, Murakami has only played in seven games due to injury. Murakami returned from a long absence last week and homered in his first at-bat and connected on a second a couple days later. He was 4-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs against the Tigers on Sunday. An optimistic Swallows fan might point to Murakami's explosive potential and hope that he not only performs at a high level, but helps kick-start a moribund lineup into gear. Murakami, of course, has that ability. The pessimistic view, however, is that Murakami has not been the same batter he was during his outstanding three-year run from 2020 to 2022, with his walks and average falling, and his strikeouts soaring. He did, however, clear 30 homers in 2023 and 2024, and power is something the Swallows have been lacking. Murakami and the Swallows should be highly motivated to see the slugger perform at his absolute best to enhance the team's performance and, perhaps more importantly at this point, boost the return they'll each get if he hits the posting system this winter. Slick-fielding infielder Hideki Nagaoka also returned last week after a nearly three-month absence and could help if he hits the way he did last season. So far, Jose Osuna has carried most of the load, batting .262 with seven homers and 43 RBIs as the only player with at least 300 at-bats. Adding Murakami can only help a lineup in sore need of production — especially with Domingo Santana out due to injury. Who is to say what happens if the Swallows suddenly start putting a few more runs on the board with a little more consistency? They still won't sniff the pennant, but they won't be boring, either. Koyo Aoyagi signed with the Swallows late last month. | JIJI It would, of course, help to prevent a few more runs. That's where the club hopes taking a flyer on pitcher Koyo Aoyagi pays off. Aoyagi spent nine seasons with the Tigers before signing a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies in the offseason. Aoyagi never made an appearance at the MLB level and struggled in the minors — he posted a 7.22 ERA in 23 games, mostly out of the bullpen, in Double-A and Triple-A — before returning to Japan with the Swallows in late July. 'The culture is really different from Japan, and the baseball is also different,' Aoyagi said during his introductory news conference on Thursday, according to Nikkan Sports. 'I was not able to have good results, but it was a good experience.' Aoyagi has a solid track record in NPB with a 3.08 ERA in 898⅓ innings. He did not, however, feature a lot for the Tigers in 2024 and posted a 4.57 ERA in 100⅓ innings in 2023. Aoyagi, though, is still 31, and perhaps moving back to a more familiar setting in NPB and throwing a more familiar baseball — albeit with his home games at Yakult's bandbox — will do him some good. He, at least, sounds ready for the challenge. 'The No. 1 thing is they needed me the most,' he said when asked why he joined the Swallows. The Swallows have not been a good team, and not even the 2022 version of 'Murakami-sama,' the one who hit .318 with 56 homers, will rocket them into title contention. It will, however, be interesting to see how Murakami finishes the season and what kind of impact Aoyagi, who threw a bullpen on Sunday, can have alongside Peter Lambert and Kojiro Yoshimura. The Swallows are 8½ games behind the third-place DeNA BayStars for the final spot in the Central League Climax Series and staring down the barrel of six road games against the Yomiuri Giants and the Tigers this week. The postseason is a long shot, but it's a goal the team can still rally around for now. Barring that, Yakult can still strive to climb out of last place. At the very least, perhaps a final flourish from Murakami can help the team end the year on a positive note, generate revenue, inspire the younger players and get the heart rates back up at Jingu Stadium going into 2026.
