12-year-old Yu reaches second final at Aquatics Worlds

China's 12-year-old Yu Zidi advanced to her second final at the World Aquatics Championships on Wednesday, clocking two minutes 7.95 seconds in the women's 200-meter butterfly semifinal.

Yu Zidi of China competes during the women's 200m butterfly semifinal of swimming at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, July 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Xia Yifang)

Yu, who narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place finish in the 200-meter individual medley on Monday, placed sixth in her semifinal heat.

The race was led by Olympic champion Summer McIntosh of Canada, who posted a time of 2:06.22.

Competing in her first international meet, Yu qualified for the final as the eighth-fastest swimmer overall. The final will be held on Thursday.