Yu helps China dominate Asian Games swimming openers

Thirteen-year-old prodigy Yu Zidi announced herself at the Asian Games in stunning style with gold in a record time on Sunday as the nation dominated swimming's opening day in Tokyo. Olympic champion Pan Zhanle also topped the podium as China won six of the day's seven finals. Yu is hotly tipped to make an impact at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and she got off the mark at the Asian Games with a comprehensive victory in the women's 200m butterfly. Her time of 2 minutes and 5.08 seconds was an Asian Games record, shaving almost half a second off the time set by compatriot Zhang Yufei three years ago in Hangzhou. It was the first of three individual events Yu is scheduled to compete in. "It was only so-so," a smiling Yu said after receiving her medal. "I hope I can swim even faster. I improved my time by 0.9 seconds here, and I believe I will perform better next time." "I need to lower my head earlier, reach farther forward and improve the movement of my legs," she added. (AFP) Edited by Aaron Tam