Chinese volleyball star plans to retire in her 20s

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Still at the peak of her career, China’s star hitter Hui Ruoqi has said that she is considering quitting professional volleyball.

The 26-year-old Rio Olympic gold medalist shared her thoughts while receiving an award for the most popular female athlete on the China Top Ten Benefitting Laureus Sport for Good ceremony in Beijing on Wednesday night.

"I am indeed thinking about retiring and discussing it with my parents and superiors," said Hui, who grew up in Nanjing and once played for the Jiangsu club in the China Volleyball League.

Hui admitted that her physical condition could not allow her to continue her playing career. In 2010, she had an operation on her left shoulder, leaving seven steel nails in it, and underwent two heart surgeries in the following years.

China's Hui Ruoqi (L) passes the ball against Serbia during the women's gold medal match for volleyball at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug. 20, 2016. /Xinhua Photo

"I have watched Kobe's jersey retirement ceremony and he had a really wonderful career. That somewhat reminded me to think of how I should arrange mine," said Hui.

The former Chinese team captain has been building her career for a decade, which culminated in 2016 when Hui, recovering in time from her second heart surgery, led her teammates to a surprise victory at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Hui is quite popular among Chinese fans, with many netizens calling her "a volleyball goddess." When asked whether she would become an actress after retirement, Hui said that she had not considered it, and that her top priority was to finish the studies for her human sociology of sports doctorate at Nanjing Normal University.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency