Chinese 13-year-old Yu Zidi wins second gold medal in the pool at Asian Games

NAGOYA, Japan (AP) — Yu Zidi, the 13-year-old Chinese swimmer, on Monday won her second gold medal at the Asian Games as she points to much larger things at the Los Angeles Olympics in two years and a showdown with Canadian Summer McIntosh.

That head-to-head could come even earlier in next year's swimming world championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Yu took the 200-meter individual medley in 2 minutes, 6.10 seconds in the Tokyo Olympic pool. That is just off the world record of 2:05.70 held by McIntosh. Yu also won the 200 butterfly on Sunday, and she'll swim the 400 IM later in the week.

She said winning never gets old.

“I felt the same. I’m just as excited today,” Yu said. “The result reflects all the hard work I’ve put in during training with my coaching team.”

She said she got many congratulatory messages after Sunday's victory, but she had to keep her focus.

“I don’t want to get too confident,” she said. “I’ll just keep working hard.”

McIntosh won three gold medals in the Paris Olympics in 2024, all in the same races that Yu contests. McIntosh also holds the world marks in all of those events: the 200 fly (2:01.65), the 200 IM (2:05.70) and the 400 IM (4:23,65).

As a 12-year-old at the World Championships a year ago in Singapore, Yu finished fourth in her three events, and won a bronze medal in a relay.

She made more headlines earlier this year when she defeated American Regan Smith in the 200 fly in a meet in China. Smith was the silver medalist in the event in the 2024 Olympics.

Asian Games officials said it was unclear if Yu is the youngest gold-medal winner at the event, which dates from 1951 in New Delhi, because records are incomplete.

She's not even the youngest contestant entered this time. That is believed to be 11-year-old Yuki Kurihara, who competes for Japan in esports.

China won six of the seven gold medals on Sunday, It was not quite as commanding on Monday, but still won gold in five of seven events. In the 100 breaststroke, China's Dong Zhihao and Shin Ohashi of Japan tied with the same first-place time (58.64).

China won 28 gold medals in swimming in the Asian Games three years ago in Hangzhou, China, with South Korea getting six and Japan with five. It looks set to at least match that mark.

Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong, the two-time Olympic silver medalist in the 100 and 200 free, repeated her Asian Games titles in the 200 free.

“I am very happy to win another gold medal,” she said. “That’s a really precious moment. Just happy to be here.”

See full AP coverage of Asian sports here

Gold medalist Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong celebrates on the podium after the women's 200-meter freestyle final in swimming at the Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Gold medalist Yu Zidi of China, center, flanked by silver medalist Yu Yiting of China, left, and bronze medalist Mio Narita of Japan pose on the podium after the women's 200-meter individual medley final in swimming at the Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Yu Zidi of China waves after competing in the women's 200-meter individual medley final in swimming at the Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Yu Zidi of China competes in the women's 200-meter individual medley final in swimming at the Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Gold medalist Yu Zidi of China poses on the podium after the women's 200-meter individual medley final in swimming at the Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

The British military said an “unknown projectile” struck a tanker as it entered the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, injuring two crew members. The vessel continued toward port under its own power.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military remains on alert as much of the country shuts down for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.

Fighting across Yemen killed or injured 680 people last week, the World Health Organization said.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Monday. Full coverage is available here.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) said a tanker was struck by an “unknown projectile” as it headed into the Strait of Hormuz. Two crew members sustained minor injuries.

The UKMTO said Monday the vessel is reportedly continuing to its next port of call under its own power. No reports indicated any environmental impact at this time.

Tehran has asserted control over much of the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28. In peacetime, about 20 million barrels — roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply — passed through Hormuz each day.

Some tankers are again traversing the strait, but traffic is well below what it once was.

The World Health Organization says 680 people were killed or injured across Yemen over the course of a week as fighting between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces continues.

WHO said on Monday in a post on X that 164 people were killed and 516 injured between Sept. 13 and Sept. 18. This brings the total number of casualties since Aug. 6 to 3,672, including 674 deaths and 2,998 injuries.

Lahj province in southwestern Yemen is currently an active front line where 58 deaths and 226 injuries were reported within six days, according to the U.N. agency.

An estimated 125,000 people have fled their homes as the Houthi rebels have advanced down the Red Sea coast to a key maritime chokepoint.

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni received his Pakistani counterpart Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran on Monday, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry said.

Naqvi’s visit comes as Pakistan seeks to facilitate dialogue between the United States and Iran, with the help of other regional countries.

Israel's military remained on alert even as the country woke up to the silence and empty streets of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, considered the holiest day for the Jewish faith.

Streetlights blinked yellow Monday as the faithful walked to the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City.

“For the next 25 hours, Israel is offline,” the foreign ministry said on X after sundown Sunday. But the military said it bolstered its frontline forces following the killing of an Israeli settler Sunday in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian suspect was detained after a search.

France says it will summon Iran's ambassador to protest over the closure of a French language center affiliated with the French Embassy in Tehran.

The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Sunday that Paris would “take appropriate measures in response” but didn't specify. It's also unclear when the Iranian ambassador would be summoned.

The ministry called the “unjustifiable and unacceptable” closure of the language center a new attack on France's cultural presence in Iran and linked it to an assault on two French Embassy staff members in July.

Organizers of the Red Sea International Film Festival say they've rescheduled this year's event for late 2027.

The announcement comes as Saudi Arabia faces heightened regional tensions, including missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The foundation did not link the postponement to the security situation. Instead, it cited the timing and logistical requirements of staging an international event of its scale in an Instagram post Monday.

The festival is one of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent international cultural events and draws filmmakers, actors and other industry figures from around the world to Jeddah.

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

A woman walks with her dogs as they cross an empty street during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, in Jerusalem, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinian men cross a closed gate after the Israeli army imposed a closure of the entrance to the West Bank village of Haris, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Shiite clerics carrying rifles march during the state-organized "Janfada," or "Sacrifice for Iran," military-style parade at Revolution Square in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)