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.
“To prolong my career, I have to give up this year’s competitions to take a rest and make adjustments. But I will not stop pursuing my dreams. Next, I will continue to actively recover and fully prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics.”
Su began his year in style, winning the 60m in 6.59 seconds on his season debut at the World Athletics Indoor Tour 2023 Gothenburg Games in February, but has not raced since.
In an earlier interview, Su revealed his “final dream” was to run in the 2025 National Games of China, which will be co-hosted by Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong province.
“My biggest dream now is to compete in the Olympic Games in Paris, but my final dream is to run in the 2025 National Games in my hometown,” the Guangdong-born sprinter said.
Su has been making a name for himself ever since he burst on to the scene in 2011, when he broke his country’s national record for the 100m, setting a new benchmark of 10.16 at the Chinese Athletics Championships.
Four years later, he became the first Asian-born sprinter to go under the 10-second mark, running 9.99 seconds in Eugene, Oregon as a 25-year-old.
