Young star Yu pushes herself to the limit

Rising Chinese swimmer Yu Yiting has emerged as the busiest athlete at the Qingdao Spring National Championships, taking on an impressive 11 events to push her limits and explore her potential.

The 19-year-old is using the competition to evaluate the results of her winter training, refine her skills across all strokes, and lay the groundwork for future participation in the mixed medley and relay events. "Many of these events are new to me, so I wanted to test myself," she explained.

"The 200m butterfly and 400m freestyle are particularly daunting for me — they're a mental hurdle I need to overcome."

Yu finished fourth in the 200m butterfly final on Friday, after leading the heat in her group. Chen Luying won the event in 2:07.30.

"It was a hard race," she said.

On the first day of the competition, Yu competed in both the women's 100m freestyle and 200m individual medley, securing silver medals in both events, and setting a personal best in the former.

Reflecting on her performance, Yu admitted that the back-to-back races were challenging.

"This was the first time I've had two events scheduled so close together," she said.

"I actually swam a personal best in the 100m freestyle, but it left me quite exhausted. By the time I started the 200m medley, I felt fatigued from the first 50m and couldn't capitalize on my strengths."

Her 100m freestyle time showcased her growing speed and technical refinement.

"I've been working a lot on my freestyle technique. It's great to see the results. It's not just about the mixed medley; freestyle is also important for the relays, so I'm happy with the progress," she said.

Yu emphasized that the competition served as a valuable training opportunity.

"This meet is mainly about using races to prepare for future events. The results are quite good, considering it's part of my training," she said.

As the nationals progressed, Yu claimed gold medals in the women's 50m butterfly and 400m medley, which boosted her confidence. However, she revealed that finishing second in the 200m individual medley had been a significant setback. "It's been many years since I last took second place. But, in reality, to become a champion, you have to learn how to lose before you can learn how to win. So, I need to accept this result and adjust my mindset quickly. This experience is actually helpful for me in the long run," she said.

"The mixed medley is still my main focus, but to be the best, I need to be strong in all four strokes. That's why I'm doing so many events here — to see where I stand and where I can improve," she explained.

Originally, Yu had not planned to participate in the spring nationals, but decided to use it as a chance to test her current form.

"I just wanted to give it my all and see where I stand," she said. Her primary goal for the competition was simple: "I hope to complete all 11 events and stay healthy, so I don't affect my performance in future competitions."

Yu is widely regarded as the successor to former Olympic champion Ye Shiwen, who won the women's 200m and 400m medley titles at the 2012 London Olympics.

Yu took bronze in the 200m medley twice at the world championships. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she helped the Chinese team secure a bronze medal in the 4x100m medley relay and finished fourth in the women's 200m individual medley. Following the Olympics, she collected multiple medals during the three-leg Swimming World Cup series.

Looking forward to the 2025 World Championships and the National Games, Yu said: "My goal is to perform well in my individual races first, and then do my part for the team."

Xinhua