Ning Zetao of Henan reacts after the men's 100m freestyle swimming final at 13th Chinese National Games in North China's Tianjin, Sept. 4, 2017. Ning Zetao claimed the title with 47.92 seconds. (Photo/Xinhua)
World champion Ning Zetao is one of 666 swimmers eligible to participate in the 2018 National Swimming Championships, as confirmed by the Sports Bureau of Rizhao, Shandong Province on Oct. 5, 2018.
Ning violated the rules of the Chinese national swimming team in 2016 and returned to his original Chinese Navy team for training, as confirmed the Chinese swimming authority.
Following the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Ning did not attend more competitions or have systematic training until 2017. That year, he went to Australia to train in May and continued to follow his coach Matt Brown, which relieved his fans. Now, Ning has firmly chosen to return to the swimming pool.
In 2014, Ning Zetao won four gold medals in the Asian Games. In 2015, he claimed the men's 100m freestyle gold medal at the World Swimming Championships and beat his own Asian record. He achieved a breakthrough on a short distance in China.
At present, no official announcements have stated which events Ning Zetao would sign up for participation. However, there have been reports that Ning Zetao may take part in the freestyle and butterfly swimming competitions.
Once Ning was confirmed to attend the competition, many fans planned to purchase their tickets sooner.
Recently, Ning and his coach recorded a short video. In the video, Ning said that his status is getting better and his performance has improved. He also mentioned that he will participate in the national swimming competition in Rizhao city, hoping to make higher achievements.
The National Swimming Championships will take place from Oct 13 to Oct 17, with a total of 41 competitions. Sports teams that have registered in the Swimming Center of the General Administration of Sports can sign up for the match.
