Chinese Olympic gold medalist Zheng Siwei announces retirement at 27

By Hoang Nguyen November 29, 2024 | 04:25 pm PT

China's Zheng Siwei celebrates winning the mixed doubles badminton final match against South Korea during the Paris Olympic at Porte de la Chapelle Arena on Aug. 2, 2024. Photo by AFP

Chinese badminton star Zheng Siwei announced his retirement at the age of 27, stating that winning titles holds little appeal to him and that he does not want to be known only as an Olympic champion.

A three-time world champion in mixed doubles, Zheng won Olympic gold in Paris this year alongside partner Huang Yaqiong, following a silver medal performance at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Despite his success, Zheng explained that he did not want to be solely defined by his achievement as an Olympic winner, the South China Morning Post reported.

"I’ve officially decided to step off the international stage," Zheng wrote in a heartfelt social media post. "I can imagine my fans might find this news sudden and somewhat unreasonable. Many expected me to continue playing, at least until Los Angeles or even longer. We just won the Olympic gold medal and are still among the top ranks globally. So why stop now?"

About the decision, Zheng explained that it was part of his long-term plan.

"The answer is simple: this has always been part of my plan, regardless of whether I achieved my dream at the Paris Olympics."

Zheng will play his final match at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals next month in Hangzhou, the city where his remarkable career began.