Yu Zidi completes Asian Games gold hat-trick with record-breaking 400m IM win
Yu clocked 4min 28.56sec in Tokyo to complete a clean sweep of her three individual events. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Yu clocked 4min 28.56sec in Tokyo to complete a clean sweep of her three individual events. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
China’s 13-year-old swimming sensation Yu Zidi completed a hat-trick of Asian Games gold medals on Wednesday, powering to victory in the 400m individual medley in a Games-record time.
Yu clocked 4min 28.56sec in Tokyo to complete a clean sweep of her three individual events, having already won the 200m butterfly and 200m individual medley, also in Games-record times.
She shattered the previous Asian Games record of 4:33.66, set by compatriot Ye Shiwen in 2014, by almost five seconds. Her time was also the fourth-fastest in the world this year, with world record-holder Summer McIntosh owning the three quickest marks.
Yu is increasingly being viewed as a major medal contender for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
She shot to global prominence last year when, aged 12, she became the youngest medallist in World Aquatics Championships history after swimming in the heats of China’s bronze-medal-winning 4x200m freestyle relay. She also finished fourth in three individual events.
Her reputation has grown further this year, including a notable victory over American Olympic champion Regan Smith in March.
In Tokyo, Yu led from the opening stroke and was never seriously challenged, finishing 3.95 seconds ahead of silver medallist Ke Wenxi, with Japan’s Mio Narita taking bronze.
Her remarkable rise has also made her a sensation in China. Her unusual journey into swimming, after being spotted by a coach at a water park, and her struggles with media interviews have gone viral.
Asked if interviews were the hardest part of her rise, Yu laughed: “Every time I just want to float off somewhere else.”
Published on Sep 23, 2026
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