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Saturday September 5, 2009

‘Big sister’ of Chinese team to quit after National Games

BEIJING: China’s former world No. 1 Xie Xingfang has announced that she will retire from badminton after next month’s Chinese National Games, local media reported yesterday.

The 28-year-old “big sister” of the Chinese team has decided to call it a day after a career lasting more than a decade in which she won world titles in 2005 and 2006, an Olympic silver medal in 2008 and a raft of regional and team honours.

“Last year, I made the decision to retire after the National Games but did not make it public because I didn’t want it to be blown out of proportion,” she told yesterday’s Guangzhou Daily.

Xingfang is girlfriend of Olympic and world champion Lin “Super” Dan and she joked that he would not let her just rest on her considerable collection of laurels.

“Lin Dan respects my decision, but he can’t tolerate that I will have so much leisure time. He said he has to find me a job,” she told the paper.

National team coach Li Yongbo said Xingfang had already played her last match for her country at last month’s world championships in India, but hinted that she might return to the game in another capacity.

“Xie has proved she is one of the best players in the world,” he told the China Daily.

“We respect her decision. The October National Games are likely to be her last tournament. I believe she will continue to devote herself to the sport in a different way.”

Xingfang will represent her native Guangdong at the 11th version of the quadrennial National Games in Jinan, Shandong Province, from Oct 11-23. — Reuters


For Another perspective from the China Daily, a partner of Asia News Network, click here

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