Thirteen-year-old Chinese swimming prodigy Yu Zidi, who is sweeping the stages of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, is breaking a sweat over the surging media attention.

Following her victory in the women's 200m butterfly final on September 20 with a competition record of 2:05.08, Yu clinched her second gold medal of the games on September 21 by capturing the women's 200m individual medley with an overwhelming Asian record of 2:06.10.

Her time of 2:06.10 in the 200m individual medley is the world's best record this season and an astonishing performance just 0.40 seconds behind the world record held by Summer McIntosh of Canada.

Having made a name for herself last year as the youngest medalist in World Aquatics Championships history by winning a bronze medal at the age of 12, she is cited as a strong gold medal contender for the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

However, for the 13-year-old girl out of the water, standing in front of numerous domestic and international reporters was a much tougher task than cutting through the waves.

AFP highlighted Yu struggling with the barrage of questions.

When asked about her thoughts on the competition, Yu responded by asking back, "How should I answer this question? Can you teach me? Should I just talk about how I feel?"

Regarding the secret to her overwhelming race, she calmly answered, "I don't feel anything special. I just go over the technical details the coach told me in my head once."

According to World Aquatics regulations, the minimum age to participate in major international competitions is 14, but exceptions are made for athletes whose times are fast enough, like Yu.

Some corners of the swimming community have voiced concerns about the physical and mental impact of enduring high-intensity training and top-level competition at such a young age.

Yu herself candidly confessed that she is struggling to balance her school studies with the heavy title of being swimming's top prospect.

To the question, "Is answering reporters' questions the hardest part?", Yu replied, "Every time I do an interview, I just want to float away somewhere."
 
(Photo: Getty Images)