Yu Zidi’s Asian Games Gold Earns Haughey’s Praise

China’s Yu Zidi opened the Asian Games swimming programme in Tokyo with gold in the women’s 200m butterfly, setting a Games record of 2min 05.85sec at just 13 years old. The win delivered the first major title of Yu’s young career and prompted praise from Hong Kong’s four-time Olympic medallist Siobhan Haughey.

Haughey described Yu as “exciting for the swimming world” and said the teenager’s emergence reflects a broader movement towards younger swimmers producing major performances. Yu’s opening-day result comes less than two years before the Los Angeles Olympics, where Haughey believes the Chinese swimmer could compete if she chooses to pursue that target.

A record start for Yu Zidi

Yu claimed the women’s 200m butterfly title in 2:05.85, a new Asian Games record. For the 13-year-old, the performance added a major individual championship victory to a rapidly developing international record.

Last year, Yu became the youngest medallist in swimming world championships history when, at 12, she took bronze as part of China’s 4x200m freestyle relay team. She also finished fourth in three individual events at the world championships, placing just outside the medals on each occasion.

Those performances, followed by her Games-record swim in Tokyo, were the evidence Haughey cited when discussing Yu’s Olympic prospects. Haughey said Yu is “definitely capable of going to the LA Olympics” and noted the teenager has already handled the pressure associated with major meets.

“I think she’s doing well under pressure at big meets,” Haughey said. “I think if she wants to do it, she definitely can.”

The Los Angeles Olympics remain less than two years away, while Yu’s Asian Games success has provided an early major-title marker in her career. Her 200m butterfly gold was won on the first day of pool competition in Tokyo.

Haughey sees a wider youth movement

Haughey, 28, said Yu is part of a trend that has seen more young swimmers reach high levels. She pointed to Canada’s Summer McIntosh, who made Canada’s team for the Tokyo Olympics as a 14-year-old in 2021 and finished fourth in the 400m freestyle.

“I think the general consensus is we have more and more great young swimmers swimming well,” Haughey said. “When Summer first started she was also very young and swimming fast, so I think that’s kind of the trend these days.”

For Haughey, the important question is whether early success can be sustained through a swimmer’s career. She said the prospect of young athletes continuing to perform into their 20s and beyond is exciting for the sport.

“Hopefully, swimming well that young, you can also translate to as you get older and well into your 20s and beyond, so it’s exciting for the swimming world,” she said.

Experience and motivation in Tokyo

Haughey is seeking to add to the two Asian Games gold medals she won in Hangzhou in 2023. She became the first Hong Kong swimmer to win an Olympic medal when she earned two silvers at the Tokyo Games, and said her experience remains an advantage at major events.

Watching swimmers such as Yu also provides motivation, even as Haughey acknowledged the age gap. “On one hand it makes me feel I’m twice their age, but I’m still here, so that says something,” she said.

Haughey said an older swimmer can use experience in areas such as handling pressure and knowing what to expect at a big meet. She also welcomed the arrival of younger competitors, saying swimming needs the sport to continue moving forward and evolving.