China's 12-year-old Yu narrowly misses medal on world championship debut

SINGAPORE, July 28 (Xinhua) -- China's 12-year-old swimming prodigy Yu Zidi came within a heartbeat of a historic medal at the World Aquatics Championships, finishing fourth in the women's 200-meter individual medley on Monday.

Making her international debut, Yu clocked two minutes 9.21 seconds, just 0.06 seconds behind bronze medalist Mary-Sophie Harvey of Canada, who touched in 2:09.15. Harvey's compatriot Summer McIntosh took gold in 2:06.69, while America's Alex Walsh claimed silver with 2:08.58.

"I was really nervous before the race," Yu said. "But at the same time, I was excited to compete against some of the world's top athletes. The result was excellent - it went beyond what I expected."

Yu, a primary school student, showed remarkable composure and consistency across all three rounds, improving from 2:11.90 in the heats to 2:10.22 in the semifinals, before hitting a personal best in the final.

Earlier this year, Yu made headlines at China's national championships, where she clocked 2:10.63 - the fastest time ever recorded by a 12-year-old - to take silver. ■