{"id":619366,"date":"2025-07-31T06:40:48","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T13:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=619366"},"modified":"2025-07-31T06:40:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T13:40:48","slug":"world-championships-12-year-old-yu-zidi-just-misses-podium-in-200-butterfly-but-pre-teen-medals-in-800-freestyle-relay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/world-championships-12-year-old-yu-zidi-just-misses-podium-in-200-butterfly-but-pre-teen-medals-in-800-freestyle-relay\/","title":{"rendered":"World Championships: 12-Year-Old Yu Zidi Just Misses Podium in 200 Butterfly; But Pre-Teen Medals in 800 Freestyle Relay"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Championships: 12-Year-Old Yu Zidi Just Misses Podium in 200 Butterfly; But Pre-Teen Medals in 800 Freestyle Relay<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the second time in as many individual events, 12-year-old phenom Yu Zidi<\/strong> just missed the podium at the World Championships in Singapore. However, the Chinese youngster did earn a medal on Thursday night, thanks to China’s bronze-medal performance in the 800-meter freestyle relay. Yu contributed a leg to that relay in prelims, which grants her a piece of hardware.<\/p>\n

With that medal, the pre-teen becomes the youngest medalist in global competition in 89 years. At the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Denmark\u2019s\u00a0Inge Sorensen<\/strong> earned the bronze medal in the 200 breaststroke less than a month after turning 12 years old. Yu will turn 13 until October.<\/p>\n

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In the final of the 200 butterfly, which was the opening event of the Night Five session, claimed her second fourth-place finish of the week, complementing her effort in the 200 individual medley. In the 200 fly, Yu was timed in 2:06.43, which was .31 back of Australian Elizabeth Dekkers<\/strong>, who touched the wall in 2:06.12. In the 200 IM, Yu was .05 out of the bronze-medal position.<\/p>\n

As was the case in the 200 medley, Yu was charging at the finish. She covered her final 50 meters in 32.78, which was more than a second faster than the 33.93 of Dekkers. Her early deficit, however, was too much to overcome. Nonetheless, she has the 400 individual medley remaining, and a medal in that event is within reach.<\/p>\n

China picked up the bronze medal in the 800 freestyle relay behind a time of 7:42.99. During the morning prelims, Yu handled the leadoff leg for her country, splitting 1:59.28.<\/p>\n