Rowdy Gaines was 17 when he began competitive swimming. At this year’s Asian Games, China’s Yu Zidi won three individual titles at 13, while Japan’s Shin Ohashi set a world record at 17. The contrast prompted a wry reaction from the three-time American Olympic champion. “13 and 17. What is the world coming to? I didn’t even start swimming until I was 17,” he wrote on X on September 24, as quoted by EssentiallySports. His comment referred to both young swimmers, rather than to a single race.

Three golds and a world junior record

Yu’s most striking swim came in the women’s 200m individual medley. She won in 2:06.10, a world junior record and the second-fastest time ever recorded, according to World Aquatics’ review of the Games. Only Canada’s Summer McIntosh has gone faster, setting the world record of 2:05.70. At the Asian Games, the gap between them on the clock was just 0.40 seconds.

The 13-year-old also won the 200m butterfly in 2:05.08 and the 400m individual medley in 4:28.56. Both were Games records. The three victories gave Yu a sweep of the individual events she entered in Japan. The times have sharpened interest in a possible future contest with McIntosh, though neither swimmer has secured a place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics yet.

The other teenager behind Gaines’ reaction

Ohashi swam 2:04.83 in the men’s 200m breaststroke on September 24, becoming the first man under 2:05 in the event and breaking the previous world record held by China’s Qin Haiyang. Gaines’ comparison came from personal experience. According to his Team USA Hall of Fame profile, he began the sport at 17 and went on to win three gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. His route to Olympic success looked very different from those of Yu and Ohashi.

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Expectations on the road to Los Angeles

Yu has been careful about the label of prodigy. “I don’t see myself as a genius,” she said in comments carried by World Aquatics, crediting repeated work in training instead. With LA 2028 still two years away, an extraordinary Asian Games does not settle an Olympic race against McIntosh.

Former open-water world champion Leonie Beck told Deutsche Welle that early success can create pressure from adults and the media, and that young athletes need support beyond results. Yu has produced times that put her among the fastest swimmers in history. What she and her rivals do next will determine how that promise translates to Los Angeles.

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