Madrid, Spain, March 4, 2026: China’s 13-year-old swimming phenom Yu Zidi has been nominated for the Breakthrough of the Year category in the Laureus World Sports Awards for 2026.
In announcing the nominations on Tuesday, March 3, Laureus said of Yu Zidi: “She became the youngest ever medallist at the World Aquatics Championships in August, with a bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay, at just 12 years old.
“Her performances throughout the Championship were impressive: fourth-placed finishes in the 200m individual medley final, the 200m butterfly and the 400m individual medley. Earlier in the year, her 2:06.83 in the 200m butterfly during the Chinese Championship in May marked the fifth-fastest time globally – and would have won gold at the 2024 World Championship.”
The awards ceremony will take place in Madrid on April 20.
In other categories, the Indian women’s cricket team has been nominated for Team of the Year.
Laureus stated: “Cricket co-hosts with Sri Lanka for the ODI Women’s World Cup, India only qualified for the knockout stage in the last of four spots after three wins and three defeats in the group phase.
“However, when the lights were brightest, they delivered. In their semi-final against the No.1 team from the group stage, Australia, India recorded the highest successful run chase in women’s ODI history, surpassing Australia’s target of 338 with nine balls to spare.
“In the final, it was their bowlers who delivered victory, skittling South Africa to win by 52 runs and claim their first World Cup title.”
In the Sport for Good category, Rugby for Good by Hong Kong, China is a nominee.
“Rugby For Good employs play-based learning, offering rugby sessions to foster inclusivity and emotional skills for children with ADHD,” Laureus says.
“With 16 active projects across 18 districts and partnership with 225 local schools, Rugby For Good is able to tackle pressing social issues at a community-wide scale, whilst investing in educational systems in order to support effective long-term learning and societal connections.
“Rugby For Good also champions gender equality in young people, applying gender integration across all levels of its programmes.”