12-Yr-Old Yu Zidi Blows Our Minds Again With 2:06.83 200 Fly At Chinese Nationals (Video) | SwimSwam

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

2025 CHINESE NATIONAL SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• May 17-24, 2025
• Shenzhen, China
• LCM (50 meters)
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap/Day 3 Recap/Day 4 Recap
• Results

2025年全国游泳冠军赛
女子200Fly
于子迪 2:06.83

中国12歳の天才少女
于子迪 Yu Zidi

ユ・ズディが2:06.83、12歳にしてパリ五輪この種目4位相当のとんでもない記録！！

これは今年の日本選手権優勝タイムを2.27秒上回る記録です https://t.co/qvD3ZFd8iV pic.twitter.com/docFz6WlXc

— 競泳NEWS (@swimcoverage) May 21, 2025

Video courtesy of @swimcoverage

As if 12-year-old Yu Zidi‘s eye-popping times of 2:10.63 in the women’s 200m IM final and 2:08.52 in the women’s 200m fly semi-final at these Chinse National Swimming Championships weren’t enough, the otherworldly performer entered entirely new territory with a winning effort during tonight’s session.

Racing in the final of the 200m fly, Yu cranked out a remarkable performance of 2:06.83 to top the podium and qualify for the World Championships.

Yu split 28.18/32.52 (1:00.70)/32.86/33.27 en route to grabbing the gold ahead of her seasoned competitors. Ma Yonghui settled for silver well back in 2:08.04 while Gong Zhenqi earned bronze in 2:08.61.

As we mentioned yesterday, for perspective, the reigning U.S. National Age Group Record for 11-12-year-old girls rests at the 2:15.02 Cassidy Bayer established in 2012. Additionally, the 11-12-year-old boys’ benchmark sits at 2:11.07 from Dean Jones in 2018. Yu surpassed both of these by a significant margin to now rank 14th in the world on the season.

Yu’s monster 2:06.83, however, now surpasses the U.S. National Age Group Record for even 13-14-year-old girls. That legendary benchmark stands as the then-world-record-setting time of 2:07.01 Mary T. Meagher put on the books in 1979.

For additional perspective, the youngster’s result would have placed only .05 outside of bronze at the 2023 World Championships but would have garnered gold at last year’s edition in Doha, surpassing winner Laura Stephens’ (GBR) mark of 2:07.35.

At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Yu would have finished 4th overall.

Yu Zidi‘s Performances Thus Far at Chinese Nationals

• 54.78 100m freestyle, relay leadoff
• 2:10.63 200m IM
• 1:59.32 200m free
• 2:06.83 200m fly

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