Zheng Siwei, Olympic Badminton Champion, Announces Retirement from International Competitions
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Beijing (China), Nov 29 (NationPress) Olympic mixed doubles badminton gold medallist Zheng Siwei of China has announced on Friday that he will retire from international competition, and the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou next month will be his ‘last dance’.
Many people expect me to play at least until the Los Angeles Olympics or beyond. Given our competitiveness, we recently clinched the Olympic gold and are ranked among the elite in the world rankings. Regarding the reason for my sudden retirement, I can say it aligns with my life plan,” the 27-year-old shared on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.
Zheng mentioned that one of the significant factors influencing his retirement is his desire to return to his family, according to reports from Xinhua.
“My aspirations center on both family and career. It’s widely known that I married at a young age, and now with a second child in the family, I feel the urge to focus on family life.”
Having previously finished as runners-up at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, Zheng and his partner Huang Yaqiong achieved a glorious victory in mixed doubles at the Paris Olympics earlier this year, wrapping up the tournament with an impressive 6-0 record and not losing a single set.
“Throughout this journey, we consistently surpassed expectations and set new records. We encountered numerous challenges and skepticism, yet we persevered and ultimately accomplished the Grand Slam,” Zheng reflected.
Zheng chose the BWF World Tour Finals as his farewell event because Hangzhou is the city where his professional career commenced.
The BWF World Tour season finale is scheduled to take place from December 11 to 15.
