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Text|Editor Shuang'er
He is the first Chinese men's 100m freestyle champion, setting a new Asian record and CCTV-certified "Asian flying fish".
He is Ning Zetao, who won the gold medal for China but was expelled from the national team, what is the origin of this?
After retiring from the military, he did not have a formal job, but he was rumored to "earn tens of millions a year", what is he doing now?
Asian "flying fish" became famous in a war
In early August, Ning Zetao, who had not appeared for a long time, shared pictures on social platforms with the text "Happy Army Day", in which he was dressed in a military uniform and was full of spirit, reminding many people of the legend of the swimming world and dreaming back to 2015.
That year, the young swimmer of the World Championships was born, won the gold medal that China has long lacked in freestyle, broke the Asian record in one fell swoop, and was affectionately called "Asian flying fish" by the people.
This year is also a milestone in Ning Zetao's athlete career
1. Becoming famous in one fell swoop is not an easy task
It can be said that he became famous in one fell swoop but by no means became popular overnight, and the young Ning Zetao experienced countless tribulations before swimming in front of the public and landing with difficulty.
Ning Zetao was born in a military family in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, and was thrown into the pool since he was a child, and the advantages of height and the appearance of size and talent soon attracted the attention of the sports team.
In 2004, Ning Zetao, who was only 11 years old, successfully entered the coveted provincial sports team, and stepped into the threshold of provincial athletes with half a foot.
In the subsequent competition, Ning Zetao first appeared, won many national championships, got the opportunity to enter the naval sports team, and was accepted by the national team coach Rear Admiral Ye Jin.
But the master's apprentice was not smooth after all, because after a long time in the water, Ning Zetao's knee problems occurred, and his results in various competitions were mediocre, and it was difficult to reach his previous peak state.
But with the company and encouragement of the coach, Ning Zetao did not give up, redoubled his efforts, and his level has been significantly improved, and it is no longer a fool's dream to represent the country.
2. Taking stimulants? Banned for one year
Just when everything was going well, Ning Zetao was detected to have doping in a competition, which was undoubtedly a taboo for athletes.
It turned out that years of training had led to a bad stomach, often picky eaters, not eating nutritious meals prepared by the team, and eating bucket instant noodles the night before the game, almost ruining his life.
His daily intake of too many additives made him positive when he was tested for doping, and despite finding the cause and making many appeals, the one-year ban was not lifted.
In 2013, Ning Zetao, who had been silent for a year, appeared in the arena again and killed all sides.
First, he won the national championship in the 100-meter freestyle, breaking the Chinese record; Later, he won the 50m final and won two gold medals, opening an endless road to victory.
Excellent appearance and superior strength have made Ning Zetao gain a lot of fans.
The 2015 CCTV sports hero was awarded to him without suspense, and he was questioned at that time, after all, he had not yet won the world-class championship, and he was also nominated for world champions such as Lin Dan and Zhang Jike.
But such doubts dissipated at the World Championships a few months later.
3. Liu Xiang on the water
In 2015, Ning Zetao won the "Flying Fish War" at the Kashgar Swimming World Championships and won his first world championship.
This trophy was not only a milestone in his athletic career, but also a morale boost, representing all Asians to become the first yellow person to enter the world's top eight.
At that time, as long as the audience saw Ning Zetao appear in the arena, they would be relieved, and at least a few gold medals would be won, and praise and expectations would envelop him like clouds.
In the face of many flowers, applause and victory honors, Ning Zetao has always maintained a sober and clear goal, he is not only limited to the title of the first in Asia, but also has to compete with European and American players, opening the way to compete in the world.
However, just when Ning Ze continued to sprint towards the goal with confidence, he was inexplicably expelled by the national team.
At his peak, he was "kicked out" of the national team
The notice in red letters on a white background ended the process of fighting for the country, and Ning Zetao was repatriated to the naval army.
Things have to start from the emergence of 2014, when Ning Zetao was not only a rising star in the sports industry, but also sought after by many fans with his handsome appearance, and inadvertently completed the transformation from an excellent athlete to an idol.
In the era when traffic is king, Ning Zetao, who has a large number of followers, is simply a walking yuan.
Many companies have approached him for cooperation endorsements, and even agents in the entertainment industry have spent a lot of money to induce his transformation, but Ning Zetao, who only wants to win glory for the country, decisively refused.
Finally, with the consent of the swimming center and the leadership, Ning Zetao signed a contract with the sponsor Yili, and handed over the endorsement to the superior center.
However, shortly after the contract was signed, a new leader came to the sports world, and without saying a word, signed a collective cooperation with Mengniu, a competitor of Yili.
The new official took office with three fires, the first of which burned Ning Zetao's head, demanding that Ning Zetao immediately terminate his cooperation with Yili and publicly apologize to Mengniu.
The decisive decision coupled with Ning Zetao's already youthful and vigorous instincts led to a complete stalemate between the two sides.
Ning Zetao felt that he was right, and the aquatics center refused to give in, although the matter was not resolved, but his sports career was destined to be plummeted.
In the ensuing race, he was scheduled to participate in the short distance swim, and he was suddenly scheduled to be transferred to the 200-meter relay without any notice or training before that, and it is difficult not to suspect that the swimming team was deliberately embarrassed.
Although the athletes who were successfully elected to the Rio Olympics were then released, just when everyone was expecting it to shine, a notice came.
"Privately receiving endorsements and bumping into leaders" was put on his head, Ning Zetao had to suspend training and return lonely, but he did not know that there was another storm waiting for him after returning to China.
Meal card demagnetization and accommodation problems followed, not only had no place to eat, but even sleeping became a problem.
The ensuing deliberate rumors and smears on the Internet were maliciously reported, blood tests and urine tests were done many times a month, and even the coach Ye Jin, who had been urging him, "disappeared", and the former champion was abandoned in this way.
But he refused to accept defeat, he still insisted on participating in the Rio Olympics, but due to the influence of trivial matters, he lost 8 pounds for a period of time, his endurance was greatly reduced, and the results were mediocre and he did not win the championship as expected.
It is said that as early as many months ago, Ning Zetao submitted a retirement report to the team, but it has not been approved, and what he waited for was indeed an emotionless "expulsion notice".
In this way, he was transferred back to the Naval Physical Engineering Corps, and a "letter" issued listed Ning Zetao's three "crimes":
Unauthorized endorsement of advertisements, disobedience to superiors' arrangements, refusal to participate in relay races, etc.
Although after leaving the team, Ning Zetao insisted on participating in large and small competitions and achieved great results, he still failed to be recalled by the national team, and the public opinion turmoil on the Internet intensified, at this time, Ning Zetao was obviously unable to do so and lost his former passion.
Various reasons prompted Ning Zetao to make the final decision on his 26th birthday, such as thunder on the ground and bursting the headlines.
The next showbiz? Income in millions?
In 2019, Ning Zetao posted on social platforms and officially announced his retirement:
"Not afraid of the past, not afraid of the future! Say goodbye to the blue water of the pool and start a new life. ”
A generation of rising stars in the swimming world came to a bleak end.
After retiring, he attracted the favor of many coaches from other countries.
When Singapore and other countries heard the news, they threw olive branches to him and offered very attractive treatment, but Ning Zetao was always unwilling to change his nationality, and the matter was closed.
At that time, many people speculated that he would enter the entertainment industry, after all, with his outstanding figure and handsome appearance, it was comparable to any traffic star in the entertainment industry, and in the era of traffic upgrading, the identity of a sports star was enough for him to make a lot of money.
But he once firmly responded that it is his bottom line that he will not step into the entertainment industry.
Indeed, the news of athletes entering the entertainment industry is endless, and the results are very different, and he from a military family does not seem to be suitable for the situation of black and white chaos.
He has neither entered the entertainment industry nor continued to swim, what is he doing now?
Swimming Transition Golf
After retiring from the game, Ning Zetao gave priority to studying overseas to enrich himself and make up for the lost youth due to the competition, as he said in the documentary "Turning Point", take a break to go to school.
He was optimistic about the school and the major, but the sky did not go as expected, and a few special years shattered all ideas, but by mistake led him to another path.
Initially, he began a three-year dormancy period, did not pay attention to outside news, rarely appeared in public places, until the age of thirty, Ning Zetao once again showed his edge, announcing that he was about to participate in the 2023 China Golf Tour qualifiers.
It turned out that in reality, he began to learn professional golf knowledge and seemed to be transforming into a golfer.
In the days when there was no news, Ning Zetao was painstakingly studying his skills, and he said:
"I thought it would be easy to play golf, but I went there with great interest and then came back disappointed."
It's difficult, it's difficult, but it's still intoxicating.
The glory of swimming gradually faded, and Ning Zetao began a new transition in life, quietly becoming a golfer from a swimmer.
On May 17, Ning Zetao appeared in Jinan, Shandong Province, and participated in the tournament for the first time as a golfer.
In the interview, he humbly expressed his love and persistence for this sport.
In addition, you can also meet Ning Zetao at major fashion shows.
Although he has not stepped into the entertainment industry, his proud figure and handsome face are still widely loved by major brands, and occasionally participate in some commercial activities.
Because of the frequent entry and exit of high-end places, and golf is a money-burning sport, with Ning Zetao and a woman being photographed, there were once scandals such as "rich woman", and there were even rumors that Ning Zetao "earned tens of millions a year".
As a client, Ning Zetao spoke out at the first time, resisted the act of creating rumors, and issued a lawyer's letter, taking up the weapon of the law to prove his innocence.
In fact, looking at Ning Zetao's social account, it is not difficult to find that although he entered the entertainment industry, commercial invitations are still constant, often shooting advertisements for some sports brands and guest models in magazines.
Whether it is really "tens of millions a year" as the outside world says, it is still unclear, but it is completely enough to feed yourself.
Online news is mixed, don't let false rumors dominate your thinking.
epilogue
Today's Ning Zetao is already in his thirties, often living in seclusion, and occasionally he can be seen on the golf course.
Although his life before the age of 26 has experienced ups and downs, he is still positive, full of hope, galloping in the new battlefield, gold will always shine, I believe that he will regain his former glory in the future!