Olympic champion Huang Yaqiong announced on social media Wednesday that she has submitted her resignation to the Chinese national team, officially ending her national team career.
“I’ve been greeted with countless encouragement from everyone, hoping that I could continue my career. But actually, since the run-up for the Paris Olympics, I’ve already regarded the Paris Olympics as my last one,” Huang wrote.
She explained that while she still has the physical ability to compete at an elite level, years of accumulated injuries and her advancing age have diminished her confidence to continue competing and maintaining her form. “Although based on my current form, I still possess the physical ability to compete, the accumulated injuries over the years combined with the increasing age have made me lack confidence to continue shouldering the mission of winning glory for the country and maintaining the form as an elite athlete,” she added.
Huang, alongside her partner Zheng Siwei, achieved significant success, including a gold medal in mixed doubles at the Paris Olympics, where they went undefeated with a 6-0 record and did not drop a single set. The pair also finished as runners-up at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
Zheng had previously announced his retirement from international competition last November. In their final international appearance, the duo claimed their third consecutive championship at the year-end Badminton World Federation (BWF) world tour finals just last month.
Despite retiring from the national team, Huang emphasized her enduring connection to badminton. She expressed her commitment to contributing to the sport in other ways. “Badminton is my lifelong pursuit, and I’m willing to give it my all,” she said.
