Ning Zetao facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ning Zetao

Ning Zetao (right) in Kazan 2015
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Baozi (包子)
Born	(1993-03-06) 6 March 1993 (age 32) Zhengzhou, Henan, China
Height	1.91 m
Weight	81 kg
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle
Club	PLA Navy team
Medal record Men's swimming Representing China World Championships (LC) Gold 2015 Kazan 100 m freestyle Asian Games Gold 2014 Incheon 50 m freestyle Gold 2014 Incheon 100 m freestyle Gold 2014 Incheon 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2014 Incheon 4×100 m medley

Ning Zetao (born March 6, 1993) is a Chinese former competitive swimmer. He was known for his amazing freestyle swimming. Ning won a gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle at the 2015 World Championships. He also earned four gold medals at the 2014 Asian Games. These wins included the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle, and two relay events. He even set new Asian records in some of these races. Ning also swam for China in the 2016 Summer Olympics. He announced his retirement from swimming on his 26th birthday in March 2019.

Early Life and Training

Ning Zetao was born in Zhengzhou, China. He is the only child of Ning Feng and Liu Wenhong. His father served in the air force reserve. His mother was part of the Chinese People's Armed Police Force. Both of his grandfathers also served in the military.

Ning started swimming when he was 8 years old. Before that, he was even scared of washing his hair! His parents took him to a swimming school. They wanted him to get over his fear of water. They also hoped it would make him healthier.

His local coach, Guo Hongyan, quickly noticed Ning's talent. He learned different swimming strokes very fast. She convinced his parents to let her train him. At age 11, Ning joined the Henan provincial swimming team. When he was 14, he was accepted into the PLA Navy's swimming team. He began training with Ye Jin, a famous coach who still coaches him today.

Ning first trained for longer races. These included the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley races. However, he had a problem with his right knee. Because of this, he switched to sprint freestyle races. Ning followed his family's military background. He served as a lieutenant in the Chinese Navy. Ning looks up to the famous Russian swimmer Alexander Popov as his role model.

On his 26th birthday, March 6, 2019, Ning announced he was stopping competitive swimming. He has said he wants to study for two years after retiring. Then he will decide what to do for his career. Ning has also made it clear he does not want to join the entertainment industry.

Swimming Career Highlights

Early Competitions

In October 2009, at age 16, Ning competed in the 11th Chinese National Games. He reached the final of the 400-meter medley. He finished in 8th place.

In April 2011, Ning competed in his first sprint freestyle event. This was at the Chinese National Swimming Championships. He finished 4th in the 100-meter freestyle final.

Breaking Records in China

April 2013 was a big moment for Ning. He won his first national championship in the 100-meter freestyle. He set a new national record with a time of 48.60 seconds. He also won the 50-meter freestyle. This marked the start of his strong performance in sprint freestyle in China.

In September 2013, Ning broke his own records. He set a new Asian record for the 100-meter freestyle at 48.27 seconds. The very next day, he set another Asian record for the 50-meter freestyle at 21.91 seconds.

In October 2013, Ning won gold medals in both the 100-meter and 50-meter freestyle at the East Asian Games. His amazing record-breaking streak earned him a spot on the Chinese national swimming team.

International Success

In June 2014, Ning competed in Switzerland. He won a gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle. He set a new world record for military swimming events. He also won gold in the 50-meter freestyle. He was not at his best because of a wrist injury.

Ning and his teammates (those ones in the front row) in 2014 Asian Games

The 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, was Ning's first big international competition. On September 23, Ning won his first gold medal at the Asian Games in the 50-meter freestyle. On September 25, he made history. He set a new Asian record of 47.70 seconds in the 100-meter freestyle. He was the first Asian swimmer to swim under 48 seconds!

He also helped China win gold in two relay events. In the 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay, China set a new Asian record. In the 4 × 100-meter medley relay, Ning swam the last part. He helped China win gold by passing a strong rival from Japan.

World Championships Victory

In April 2015, Ning competed in the Chinese National Swimming Championships. This event helped choose swimmers for the World Aquatics Championships in Russia. Ning performed very well in both the 100-meter and 50-meter freestyle events. He won first place in both.

From July to August 2015, Ning competed at the 16th FINA World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia. On August 2, he helped the Chinese team reach the final of the 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay. This was the first time the Chinese men's team had done this at the World Championships.

On August 5, Ning swam in the 100-meter freestyle heats. He finished first. In the semifinals, he came in second. On August 6, in the 100-meter freestyle final, Ning gave his best performance. He took the lead early and finished first with a time of 47.84 seconds. This was a huge achievement for Chinese swimming. No Asian swimmer had ever reached the final or won a medal in this event at the World Championships before Ning's victory. The legendary Russian swimmer Alexander Popov presented Ning with his gold medal. Ning had admired Popov for a long time.

2016 Summer Olympics

The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was Ning's first time at the Olympics. In his individual races, he finished 30th in the 50-meter freestyle. He placed 12th in the 100-meter freestyle. In the relay races, his team was disqualified from both the 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay and the 4 × 100-meter medley relay. This was due to false starts by his teammates.

Personal Best Times

Ning Zetao achieved impressive times in his career.

Key: AS = Asian Record, NR = National Record

Awards and Endorsements

Ning received the CCTV Sports Award for Best Male Athlete in 2014. This was for his great achievements in sprint freestyle. He won the Best Male Athlete of the Year again in 2015. This was for his gold medal win at the World Championships in Kazan.

After the 2014 Asian Games, Ning became very popular in China. He became a spokesperson for many well-known brands. These included Skullcandy, FitBit China, Gillette China, and Adidas. He often appeared in advertisements with other members of the Chinese National Swimming Team.

See also

In Spanish: Ning Zetao para niños