China’s 13-year-old swimming prodigy Yu Zidi continued her impressive performance at the 2026 Asian Games in Tokyo by capturing her second gold medal in the women’s 200-meter individual medley on Monday. Yu finished the race in 2 minutes, 6.10 seconds at the Tokyo Aquatic Centre, breaking the previous Asian Games record by nearly three-quarters of a second and narrowly missing the world record of 2:05.70 held by Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh.

Yu’s victory in the 200-meter individual medley followed her gold medal win in the 200-meter butterfly on Sunday, where she set a Games record of 2:05.08. Her time in the individual medley is the fastest globally this year and places her as the second-fastest woman in history in the event, surpassing notable swimmers including Katinka Hosszú and Kaylee McKeown. Observers noted her time also bested McIntosh’s gold-medal-winning effort at the 2024 Paris Olympics, though it remains just short of McIntosh’s 2025 world record.

Despite her remarkable achievements, Yu described her performances modestly, highlighting areas of technical improvement such as head position, reach, and leg movement. She attributed her success to the collective effort of her training team and expressed motivation from competing against her Chinese teammate Yu Yiting and Canadian rival McIntosh, whose world records in events including the 200 fly, 200 IM, and 400 IM remain the benchmarks.

Yu made history at age 12 by becoming the youngest ever world championship medalist in 2025, earning a bronze as part of China’s 4x200m freestyle relay team, and finishing just outside the podium in individual events. With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics two years away, Yu is viewed as a rising star poised for international prominence.

The Asian Games pool saw other notable results on Monday. Japan’s Shin Ohashi and China’s Dong Zhihao shared the gold in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke after finishing in a dead heat with a time of 58.64 seconds. Ohashi described the outcome as “50-50,” expressing mixed feelings over the tie. Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey successfully defended her title in the women’s 200-meter freestyle, winning in 1:54.96.

In broader Asian Games news, the Palestine baseball team made its debut despite a 12-0 loss to the Philippines. Team leader Oney Roberto Guillen Cardenas emphasized the symbolic importance of their participation amid difficult circumstances, while teammate Hasan Ammar dedicated their efforts to honor teammates who lost their lives in Gaza.

As the Games continue, Yu Zidi is set to compete in the 400-meter individual medley later this week, aiming to complete an individual treble and further cement her status as a leading figure in the sport.