• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home World News Us & Canada

China’s swimming prodigy draws global praise and a note of caution

August 3, 2025
in Us & Canada
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
0
Singapore 2025 World Aquatics Championships - Day 20: Swimming
4
SHARES
9
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


HONG KONG — A 12-year-old Chinese swimmer has become a global sensation with her history-making times, even as observers and fans back home caution against overhyping the young athlete.

On Thursday, Yu Zidi became the youngest-ever medalist at the World Aquatics Championships, which are being held in Singapore this year.

Yu was part of the Chinese team that took bronze in the women’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay, with the United States winning silver and Australia winning gold. Though she did not compete in the final, she received a medal because she swam in the qualifying race.

“I was really excited to join the relay. It felt great,” Yu told reporters Thursday. “The World Championships are fun, and I hope to swim faster.”

Yu competing in the women’s 200-meter butterfly heats in Singapore on Wednesday.Lintao Zhang / Getty Images

The Chinese prodigy began swimming around age 6 just to beat the heat in her home province of Hebei. She said she never thought about becoming a professional athlete until a coach approached her at a swimming pool one day.

“At the time, I thought: why not give training a try?” Yu told Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency, in May.

Yu, who is also the youngest person to medal at a major international competition since 1936, could earn an individual medal on Sunday in the women’s 400-meter medley. Her times are so fast that they allowed her to compete at the World Aquatics Championships even though the minimum age requirement is usually 14.

She has already come close to medaling in two other events in Singapore, missing the podium by 0.06 seconds in the women’s 200-meter medley on Monday and 0.31 seconds in the women’s 200-meter butterfly on Thursday.

At the Chinese national championships in May, Yu finished the 200-meter individual medley with a time of 2:10.63, winning a silver medal and setting a world record in the event for any 12-year-old, male or female.

Hailed as the world’s greatest swimmer her age, Yu has been compared to phenoms such as Katie Ledecky of the United States and Summer McIntosh of Canada, with times that would have put her on the verge of medaling at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Already, Yu is swimming the 400-meter individual medley about 15 seconds faster than McIntosh was at the same age.

SINGAPORE-WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS-SWIMMING-WOMEN 200M BUTTERFLY
Yu at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Thursday.Wu Zhizun / Xinhua News Agency via Getty Ima

Her stunning performance before she’s even a teenager has many wondering how she might shape competitive swimming in the years to come.

But some Chinese sports fans and commentators have urged the public not to overhype the preteen rising star.

Yu’s sudden fame may expose her to “disproportionate” pressure that could keep her from achieving her full potential, the state-backed digital news outlet Shanghai Observer said in an editorial Thursday.

“We must let this 12-year-old grow her splash slowly into a wave,” it said, adding that there is “no need to rush into hero worship.”

The warning hinted at a shift in how China promotes its elite athletes in the wake of persistent doping allegations and what has been criticized as a “toxic” fan culture.

Success at the highest levels of sport has been central to China’s construction of national identity, with the government focused on dominating medal tables at the Olympics and other events.

But the push for gold medals also puts a lot of stress on the countries’ star athletes, as does the intensity of public scrutiny.

Organized sports fandom first emerged around 2016 when Chinese social media users, jaded by sex scandals that had tarnished the wholesome image of pop stars they previously adored, began following Olympic athletes instead, said Zhang Bin, a veteran sports commentator in China.

The new fans brought “sophisticated strategies” from the entertainment industry, setting off “fandom wars” among different groups that tried to outdo each other in supporting their athletes, Zhang said.

China’s extreme sports fan culture, which can include fan mobs, cyberbullying of athletes and heckling behavior at sports events, was especially visible around the Paris Olympics last year.

When gold-medal-winning diver Quan Hongchan returned to her hometown, visitors flocked to her home for days. Some livestreamed with their phones while others flew drones, and travel agencies even started offering tours of her village.

Pan Zhanle, an Olympic champion swimmer, was praised for disbanding his official fan group after his success at the Paris Games overwhelmed him with a surge of new followers.

The Chinese government has been cracking down, with its cyberspace watchdog saying in April that it had shut down over 3,700 social media accounts with illegal or noncompliant content aimed at Chinese athletes.

WTT Finals Men Doha 2023 - Day 3
Fan Zhendong in Doha, Qatar, in January 2024.VCG / Getty Images

But sometimes the frenzy goes beyond the internet. Chinese table tennis player Fan Zhendong, an Olympic gold medalist, said he was traumatized when a stranger sneaked into his hotel room in 2023.

“I never thought, as an athlete, I would have to go through something like this,” he told Phoenix TV last week, adding that organized online abuse had caused him “severe” mental stress that contributed to several unexpected losses.

Since sports prodigies naturally attract followers, fan groups could also be a concern for Yu in the future, said Zhang, who was at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.

China is often overprotective of its athletes, but it “may not be a good thing if Yu is living in isolation like protected giant pandas,” he said.

“For athletes, learning to interact with the media is a necessary part of their development,” Zhang added.

Jessie Zhou, 23, a graduate student in Hong Kong who closely follows table tennis star Fan, said it was a “good call” for Chinese media to cover Yu in a “restrained tone” while extreme sports fandom remains unresolved.

“Just let the kid stay focused on training,” Zhou said.



Source link

Tags: cautionChinasdrawsGlobalnotepraiseprodigyswimming
Previous Post

Four injured in Tondo blast

Next Post

Russia cancels tsunami warning for Kamchatka after quake, dormant volcano erupts todayheadline

Related Posts

Lando Norris in his race car crosses the finish line

Lando Norris beats Oscar Piastri in tense finish to keep F1 championship fight alive

August 3, 2025
6
Magnitude 4.0 earthquake recorded off B.C. coast, no damage expected

Magnitude 4.0 earthquake recorded off B.C. coast, no damage expected

August 3, 2025
8
Next Post

Russia cancels tsunami warning for Kamchatka after quake, dormant volcano erupts todayheadline

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0
U.S. forward Dike suffers another injury setback

U.S. forward Dike suffers another injury setback

August 3, 2025
Image of a quantum computing cell.

Better Quantum Computing Stock: Rigetti Computing or IonQ? todayheadline

August 3, 2025
Top Trump aide accuses India of financing Russia's war in Ukraine

Top Trump aide accuses India of financing Russia's war in Ukraine todayheadline

August 3, 2025

Stop Duct-Taping Your Tech Stack Together: This All-in-One Tool Is Hundreds of Dollars Off todayheadline

August 3, 2025

Recent News

U.S. forward Dike suffers another injury setback

U.S. forward Dike suffers another injury setback

August 3, 2025
5
Image of a quantum computing cell.

Better Quantum Computing Stock: Rigetti Computing or IonQ? todayheadline

August 3, 2025
5
Top Trump aide accuses India of financing Russia's war in Ukraine

Top Trump aide accuses India of financing Russia's war in Ukraine todayheadline

August 3, 2025
8

Stop Duct-Taping Your Tech Stack Together: This All-in-One Tool Is Hundreds of Dollars Off todayheadline

August 3, 2025
5

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

U.S. forward Dike suffers another injury setback

U.S. forward Dike suffers another injury setback

August 3, 2025
Image of a quantum computing cell.

Better Quantum Computing Stock: Rigetti Computing or IonQ? todayheadline

August 3, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co