China's Yu, 13, great for swimming says multiple Olympic medallist

China's 13-year-old sensation Yu Zidi is "exciting for the swimming world" and part of the sport's trend towards younger athletes, Hong Kong's multiple Olympic medallist Siobhan Haughey said on Monday.

Yu scorched to Asian Games gold on the opening day in the pool in Tokyo, winning the women's 200m butterfly in a Games-record time of 2min 05.85sec.

It was the first major title of her young career, less than two years out from the Los Angeles Olympics.

Yu is following in the footsteps of Summer McIntosh, who made Canada's team for the Tokyo Olympics as a 14-year-old in 2021, finishing fourth in the 400m freestyle.

Haughey, a four-time Olympic medallist, said it is part of a wider trend in swimming.

"I think the general consensus is we have more and more great young swimmers swimming well," said Haughey, now a relative veteran at 28.