Who is Yu Zidi? Meet Athlete Younger than Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Set to Feature in Asian Games 2026
At the 2026 Asian Games, 13-year-old Chinese athlete Yu Zidi will grab the spotlight as an athlete even younger than India’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The young swimmer made headlines by setting a new Asian record last year.
The Asian Games 2026 will kick off from September 19, 2026 to October 4, 2026 at Aichi Prefecture and the city of Nagoya in Japan.
Like every other event, this year’s marquee tournament will also feature some of the most prominent talents from around the Asian continent, including India’s young cricketing prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi. However, there will be one athlete set to make her mark at the grand stage even younger than Suryavanshi.
Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi will be representing her country at just 13 years of age. Zidi made headlines last year by setting an Asian record in the 200m individual medley. She will be part of the Chinese team.
Who is Yu Zidi?
Here is a brief overview of young Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi who is set to represent her country at the 2026 Asian Games as one of the few youngest athletes at the tournament.
| Detail | About Yu Zidi |
| Full Name | Yu Zidi |
| Born in | Baoding, Hebei, China |
| Age | 13 years (Born October 16, 2012) |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Club | Hebei Taihua Jinye Swimming Club |
| Major Achievements | Asian Record Holder (200m IM), Youngest Medalist in World Aquatics Championships History (Bronze, 4×200m freestyle) |
All Eyes on Vaibhav Suryavanshi in Asian Games 2026
Vaibhav Suryavanshi will also be under the spotlight in the upcoming Asian Games. The left-handed batter recently became the youngest Indian player to make his international debut for India, going past legend Sachin Tendulkar.
Vaibhav already has staggering numbers in T20 cricket. In 40 innings he has 1670 runs with a mind-blowing strike rate of 216 and four centuries. The format for cricket in Asian Games 2026 is going to be T20.
India currently holds gold medals in both the men’s and women’s cricket in Asian Games, with medals in Hangzhou in 2023. This time too, the side will be the favorite to defend the crown.
India Contingent in Asian Games 2026
The Indian contingent will enter the Asian Games 2026 with confidence, given the recent success in the Commonwealth Games 2026, where it finished in fourth position with 39 medals including 13 gold, 17 silver and 9 bronze.
This time the Indian contingent will feature more than 600 athletes competing across 35+ sports.Last time, India recorded its best-ever performance in the Asian Games 2023 with 107 medals (28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze), finishing fourth on the tally.
India’s Cricket Squad for Asian Games 2026 (both men and women)
Men’s Cricket Squad for Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Women’s Cricket Squad for Asian Games 2026: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Gunalan Kamalini, Bharti Fulmali, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Nandani Sharma.
Harshita Singh is an education and general knowledge journalist with over 5 years of experience in educational writing. Specializing in US affairs and GK, Harshita has a track record of breaking down intricate geopolitical and historical subjects into clear, digestible insights for learners. Her strong background in text analysis, coupled with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in English from the University of Delhi, helps her produce authoritative, thoroughly researched content that empowers readers to engage confidently with global current affairs. For inquiries or academic insights, you can reach out to her directly at harshita.singh@jagrannewmedia.com.
