Huang, an Olympic winner, leaves the Chinese national team

Huang Yaqiong, the 30-year-old mixed doubles winner of the Paris 2024 Olympics, announced that he has left China’s national badminton squad because of an increasing number of ailments.

At the August Olympics, Huang and Zheng Siwei defeated Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun of South Korea 21-8 21-11 to win gold.

Shortly after winning the mixed doubles title in Paris, Huang, who also shared the silver medal with Zheng in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, became engaged to Liu Yuchen, another Chinese silver medallist.

“I would want to declare that I have made the decision to leave the national team. I considered the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris to be my final Olympic Games,” Huang wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.

“I’ve stated that I must struggle for accomplishments if I want to compete in international events going forward.

However, as I’ve aged and sustained numerous injuries, I lack the self-assurance to continue winning honors for my nation.”

Huang has won gold at the 2018 Nanjing, 2019 Basel, and 2022 Tokyo BWF World Championships, making him a three-time mixed doubles world champion.

“I am excited for my new life, and above all, I will continue to play my favorite game of badminton. We shall see each other again in the future, but now is the moment to say goodbye,” she continued.