Asian Games: China’s top sprinter Su Bingtian rules out running in Hangzhou ‘to prolong career’
- Continent’s fastest man will be absent when his country hosts the Games in September – but insists he is not retiring
- He says ‘accumulated injuries’ mean he must ‘take a rest and make adjustments’ before targeting the 2024 Paris Olympics
Asia’s fastest man Su Bingtian raised questions over his long-term future on Monday after saying he would not compete again this year.
China’s top sprinter announced his decision on social media, a move that means he will not race at the World Athletics Championships or the Chinese-hosted Asian Games.
Su, who said his decision was for “personal reasons”, previously denied rumours he planned to retire after he became the first Chinese runner to qualify for a men’s 100 metres Olympic final at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
And the 34-year-old insisted he would be ready and raring to go ahead of the Paris Olympics next summer, and was taking the decision to sit out what was likely to be his last Asian Games, which are in Hangzhou in September, to “prolong my career”.
“The accumulated injuries over the years and the decline of physical conditions after the pandemic have brought difficulties to my preparations this year,” he said in the post. “My team has conducted a series of examinations and tests for me and actively sought advice from various sources.
