China’s swimming prodigy Yu Zidi bags third gold in Asian Games record

China's 13-year-old Yu Zidi claimed the 400m individual medley title at the Asian Games, clocking an Asian Games record time of 4:28.56. The victory completed a clean sweep of her three individual events at the meet, after earlier wins in the 200m butterfly and the 200m individual medley, both also registered as games records.

Yu lowered the Asian Games benchmark set by compatriot Ye Shiwen in 2014 by roughly 4.5 seconds. Her 400m IM mark was the fourth-fastest in the world this year; the year's top three times are held by world record-holder Summer McIntosh.

In Tokyo's final, Yu took the lead from the start and finished 3.95 seconds ahead of silver medallist Ke Wenxi of China, with Japan's Mio Narita taking bronze. The result extended Yu's string of high-profile performances following last year's World Aquatics Championships, where she became the youngest medallist—winning a relay bronze for China at age 12.

Earlier this year at the China Swimming Open in March, Yu defeated seven-time American Olympic medallist Regan Smith in the 200m butterfly, further enhancing her reputation. Her rise has drawn strong attention domestically; stories about her being discovered by a coach at a water park and her visible discomfort with media interviews have circulated widely on local social platforms. When asked at the Games whether answering questions was the hardest part of competing, she laughed and said she just wanted "to float off somewhere else."