Yan Zibei responds to retirement rumors: "Focusing wholeheartedly on training—see you at the May championships!"

Recently, the Hubei Provincial Sports Bureau released the "Public Notice on Proposed Retention of Five Colleagues, Including Yan Zibei": In accordance with the guidelines and relevant regulations outlined in the "Provisional Measures for Retaining Outstanding Retired Athletes in Hubei Province" (Hubei Sports [2004] No. 135), the bureau is now publicly announcing the list of athletes scheduled for retention from among those who retired in 2024.

Swimming and Diving Center: Yan Zibei; Basketball & Volleyball Center: Chen Gong; Shooting Center: Lü Jing, Qin Cong; Chongren Center: Zhu Junhao.

On April 7, the hashtag #YanZibeiRetires sparked a heated discussion.

Following this, Yan Zibei posted on his personal social media account to clarify his situation: "Thanks for all your concern—I’m not retiring. Instead, I’m focusing entirely on intense training. See you at the May championships!"

Yan Zibei, born in October 1995 in Xiangyang, Hubei Province, is a Chinese male breaststroke swimmer and an international-class athlete. In 2019, he clinched the bronze medal in the men’s 100m breaststroke at the Gwangju World Championships, securing China’s first-ever podium finish in this event in 21 years. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, he placed sixth in the men’s 100m breaststroke final, setting a new national Olympic record—the best result ever achieved by a Chinese swimmer in this event. In 2022, he broke the Asian record in the semifinals of the 50m breaststroke at the Short Course World Championships, clocking a time of 25.80 seconds. Unfortunately, in 2024, an injury prevented him from competing at the Paris Olympics.

Source: Hubei Provincial Sports Bureau, Jingchu Net, and others

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