Too much too young? Swimming’s dilemma over 12-year-old schoolgirl
The great Chinese female student is not just creating numbers at the event in Singapore this week.
Yu became qualified for the finale of the 200 -meter individual confusion on Monday and became the fourth, and he missed a remarkable medal for only 0.06 seconds in what was not considered the most powerful event.
The race was won by Summer McIntosh of Canada-14-year-old competed at the Tokyo Olympics and won three gold in Paris last summer.
Yu was there again in Singapore on Wednesday and competed with comparative senior McIntosh to reach the finals of the 200 -meter butterfly.
Yu, who was 13 years old in October, will compete in a 400 -meter turmoil this week. He discovered a six -year -old swim in China’s roasting summers as a way to cool off, drew historical comparisons with Inge Sorensen.
More recently, Bahrain Alzain Tareq, who was 10 years old when Kazan competed in the swimming world championships in Russia in 2015, was.
However, unlike Yu, he never approached the medal.
He asked if there was a “genius” this week, Yu answered: “No, not really. All of the hard education.”
Very early
While YU’s performances can be impressive and medal, not everyone thinks he should compete in Singapore.
Some of them asked questions about the impact of mentally and physically in high -level education on YU, and still competed in an age in which he developed as a person.
According to the existing world Aquations rules, the minimum age is 14, but young swimmers – like Yu – can compete in the championships if they are fast enough.
German swimming sports director Christian Hansmann described his participation in Singapore as a “suspect”.
Hansmann, who has similar children, said, “To put a daughter of 12 people in front of a world championship crowd of 5,000 spectators, have high pressure from the media and coaches, I think it’s too early.” He said.
French swimmer Lilou Partcourt said, “He angry me to be beaten by a girl 10 years older than me” and was surprised at how fast Yu was such a young age.
He is also afraid of YU’s physical and mental prosperity.
“I am 22 years old and I take the world championships, even the French championships,” the Paincourt said to AFP.
“I tell myself that you have a heavy responsibility at the age of 12 … It is not normal at 12 to have this pressure.”
Find balance
YU’s presence in Singapore may force the rethink of the rules in the World Aquations, the administrative body of the sport.
Executive Director Brent Nowick admitted that they were surprised that someone as young as Yu was fast enough to be qualified.
Nowick said that world water sports felt quite good about where we are with our protection approach in our sport, but admitted that YU’s rules could be re -evaluated.
“He’s great. So, there’s a big future for him.
But he added: “Frankly, we have to make sure what this is, don’t we?
Many other sports wrestled with the same age problem.
In 2022, Ice Bating’s administrative body voted to raise the minimum age for senior competition between 15 and 17 months after an Olympic drug scandal containing Russian young Kamila Valieva.
When the Olympic Skating won the Olympic Skating at the 1984 Saraybosna Games for East Germany, Qatarina Witt said that the change is “primarily protecting female athletes from extremely executives.”
