33 Facts About Ning Zetao

Ning Zetao is a Chinese former competitive swimmer.

On March 6,2019, Ning Zetao announced his retirement from competitive swimming through his Weibo account, on his 26th birthday.

Ning Zetao was born in Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan.

Ning Zetao is the only child of Ning Feng and Liu Wenhong.

Ning Zetao's parents took him to a swimming school to help him overcome his fear of water and to improve his physical health.

Ning Zetao persuaded Ning's parents to have him trained under her.

At age 11, Ning Zetao became a member of Henan provincial swimming team.

At age 14, Ning Zetao was accepted to the PLA Navy's swimming team.

Ning Zetao started training under Ye Jin, a well-known coach who remains his coach today.

On March 6,2019, on his 26th birthday, Ning Zetao announced his retirement from competitive swimming on his Weibo.

Ning Zetao has stated in interviews that he wishes to study for two years after retirement before deciding what to do for his career.

Ning Zetao has insisted that he would not be entering the entertainment industry despite huge speculation and interest.

At age 16, Ning Zetao competed in the 11th Chinese National Games, Shandong, China.

Ning Zetao competed in the Chinese National Swimming Championships, Wuhan, Hubei, China.

Ning Zetao defeated two-time defending champion Lv Zhiwu at the Chinese National Swimming Championships, Zhengzhou, Henan, China, winning his first national championship in the 100-meter free in his hometown, setting the new national record with a time of 48.60 on April 5,2013.

Ning Zetao won first place in the 50-meter free with a record time of 22.41 on April 7,2013.

Ning Zetao won another gold in the men's 50-meter free.

Ning Zetao was not in his best physical state at the games due to a wrist injury sustained a few months prior to the competition.

Ning Zetao won a silver medal in the 50-meter butterfly with a time of 23.65.

Ning Zetao has met 16th FINA'S Level A qualifying time of 22.25 for this event.

Ning Zetao expressed in this interview his desire to train overseas.

Ning Zetao winning the gold marked a milestone achievement in the Chinese swimming, as prior to Ning Zetao's victory, no Asian swimmer had ever advanced to the final or won medals in this event at the FINA world championships.

Ning Zetao came in 15th place in the semifinal with a time of 22.28 and failed to advance to the final.

Ning Zetao filed an appeal to overturn the ban, but was denied.

Ning Zetao received the CCTV Sports Award for Best Male Athlete in 2014 for his achievements in sprint freestyle.

Ning Zetao won the Best Male Athlete of the Year again in 2015 at CCTV Sports Personality of Year Award for his gold winning performance at the 16th FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia.

Since the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, Ning Zetao has gained great popularity nationwide, having become the spokesperson for Skullcandy, China and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Co.

Ning Zetao often appears in advertisements or promotional events alongside other members of the Chinese National Swimming Team.

Ning Zetao was forced to stop his training from Australia, returned to China, found his meal card locked, and was threatened to leave his apartment, which was provided by the National Swimming Center.

Ning Zetao had been forced to stop training for a few weeks.

Ning Zetao was at his best form, but this sudden development changed his form for competing and it was a life changing event for him.

Some gossip sites even claimed that Ning Zetao would be expelled from the National Team.

Ning Zetao signed a new contract with Adidas in January 2017.