Yu Zidi breaks records with multiple golds at Asian Games

At the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, 13-year-old Chinese swimming prodigy Yu Zidi has emerged as a dominant force, securing multiple gold medals and breaking records. Yu won the women’s 200m butterfly with a time of 2:05.08, setting a new Games record. She followed this with a victory in the 200m individual medley, clocking 2:06.10, which stands as the second-fastest performance in history for that event, trailing only Canada’s Summer McIntosh.

Veteran Hong Kong swimmer Siobhan Haughey also maintained her high standing at the Games, successfully defending her 200m freestyle title with a time of 1:54.96 and winning gold in the 100m freestyle. Haughey, a multi-time Olympic medalist, noted the rising trend of exceptionally young, elite-level swimmers in the sport.

Other notable performances include Japan’s Yumeki Kojima, who set a Games record in the men’s 400m individual medley, and China’s continued dominance across various swimming disciplines. The competition is being held at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.