Badminton star Zheng Siwei, the Olympic mixed doubles gold medalist from China, has announced his retirement from international competition at the age of 27. Next month’s BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou will mark his final appearance on the international stage.
“Many people expected me to play at least until the Los Angeles Olympics, or even longer,” Zheng wrote on Weibo, China’s popular social media platform. “If there were any questions about our competitiveness, we just won the Olympic gold and rank among the top in the world rankings. As for why I suddenly want to stop playing, my answer is, this is my life plan.”
Zheng cited a desire to focus on his family as a key reason for his decision. “My life goals are now focused on my family and career. Everyone knows that I married relatively early, and now I’ve just had a second baby, so I want to return to the family,” he explained.
Alongside his partner Huang Yaqiong, Zheng claimed silver at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 before triumphing at the Paris Olympics, securing mixed doubles gold with an impeccable 6-0 record without dropping a single set. “Along the way, we constantly made breakthroughs and broke records. We faced challenges and doubts, but we never stopped and we finally won a Grand Slam,” Zheng reflected.
Zheng chose the BWF World Tour Finals as his farewell event because Hangzhou holds special significance for him—it is where his professional career began. The season-ending tournament will take place from December 11 to 15.
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Olympic badminton champion Zheng to retire from international events
cgtn.com
