Huang Yaqiong, the Olympic badminton champion, has officially announced her departure from the Chinese national team due to the cumulative effects of injuries and age. The 30-year-old star, who secured a mixed doubles gold medal alongside partner Zheng Siwei at the Paris 2024 Olympics, revealed in a social media post that she had already deemed these Games her last. Huang articulated that, despite still having the physical capacity to compete, her confidence waned due to years of injuries, stating, "the accumulated injuries over the years combined with my increasing age have made me lack confidence to continue" (Reuters).

At the Paris Olympics, Huang and Zheng emerged victorious against South Korea's Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun with a decisive score of 21-8, 21-11, adding to their earlier success of winning silver together at the Tokyo 2020 Games. In a sweet moment, Huang also got engaged to Liu Yuchen, her fellow Olympic silver medalist, shortly after their victory.

Notably, Huang, a three-time mixed doubles world champion, expressed gratitude to her supporters and teammates, emphasizing that badminton will remain a significant part of her life. She declared, "I’m willing to give it my all" as she steps away from competitive play, signalling her intention to contribute to the sport in different capacities moving forward (SCMP).

Her retirement follows Zheng Siwei's recent announcement of his decision to retire from international competition, marking the end of an era for this highly successful badminton duo.