China’s Yu Yiting Has Demonstrated Impressive Versatility
For good reason, significant attention has been placed on China’s Yu Zidi over the past year-plus. With the 13-year-old just missing multiple individual medals at last summer’s World Championships, the youngster is one of the sport’s rising stars – an athlete expected to be a major factor when the 2028 Olympic Games are held in Los Angeles.
Amid the hoopla surrounding the teenager, the all-around excellence of another Chinese standout has been somewhat overshadowed. On the road to September’s Asian Games in Tokyo, an argument can be made that 20-year-old Yu Yiting is the current No. 1 performer for China. Most recently, Yu shined at the Chinese National Championships, her top effort an Asian record of 2:06.82 in the 200-meter individual medley.
Yu is not a stranger to international podiums. In addition to claiming a pair of bronze medals (2023/2024) in the 200 IM at the World Championships, Yu has helped China to six relay medals between the Olympics and World Champs. Now working with Michael Bohl, the legendary Australian coach who was lured to China in early 2025, Yu is enjoying her greatest success across a range of disciplines.
At the Chinese National Championships, Yu registered a statement victory when she became just the seventh woman in history break the 2:07 barrier in the 200 medley. Her winning time cut more than a half-second off the previous Asian record of 2:07.41, which was set by Yu Zidi late last year. Meanwhile, she was the victor in the 100 freestyle (53.43), runnerup in the 100 butterfly (56.67) and the third-place finisher in both the 50 breaststroke (30.45) and 50 butterfly (25.92).
With Bohl guiding her training, Yu seems poised to enjoy the best days of her career, with multiple schedule options available. To gain a full picture of Yu Yiting’s versatility, consider her career-best times:
50 Freestyle: 25.34
100 Freestyle: 53.43
200 Freestyle: 1:56.47
100 Backstroke: 59.89
50 Breaststroke: 30.45
50 Butterfly: 25.71
100 Butterfly: 56.67
200 Butterfly: 2:09.03
200 Individual Medley: 2:06.82 (Asian Record)
400 Individual Medley: 4:35.44