Yu Zidi, 13, wins 400m IM in Nagoya to complete Asian Games hat-trick

Thirteen-year-old Yu Zidi won the 400m individual medley at the Asian Games in Nagoya on 23 September 2026, setting a new Games record of four minutes 28.56 seconds. The victory completed a trio of gold medals for the Chinese teenager at the meet.

Yu led the 400m individual medley from start to finish and lowered the Games record that had stood since 2014 by nearly 4.5 seconds. The mark she produced was recorded as four minutes 28.56 seconds.

Yu finished 3.95 seconds clear of compatriot Ke Wenxi, who took silver, with Japan's Mio Narita claiming bronze. She had already won gold in the 200m butterfly and the 200m individual medley in Nagoya, and both of those victories were achieved in Games-record times.

Defending champion Ri Song Gum, 28, broke three world records on her way to securing her third Asian Games gold in the women's 49kg category. Ri lifted 94kg in the snatch and followed with a clean-and-jerk of 121kg, each mark 1kg more than the previous world bests, producing a total of 215kg — 4kg above the former world record. "The world record and this gold medal hold great meaning for me, because of everything I poured into this competition," Ri said. "I stepped out on to the competition floor today carrying that faith and those expectations."

Her 400m individual medley time is the fourth fastest in the world this year, with only Canada's world record holder Summer McIntosh having gone quicker. Yu is being widely tipped to contend for the medals at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.