Popular Chinese swimmer Ning Zetao recently made it to the news after his name was included in China's top athletes of 2015 list.
The top 10 list where Ning Zetao was included is an annual inventory compiled by Chinese news outlet Xinhua News Agency. The athlete's name was added in the list following his recent success in the sports of swimming.
The 22-year-old swimmer rose to mainstream prominence after winning a gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle at the 2015 FINA Swimming World Championships in Kazan, Russia.
His 47.84-second swim made him the first Asian to win a medal in the 100-free at the championships. He also won gold in the 50, 100, 400-free relay and 400-medley relay at the 2014 Asian Games, according to Swimming World Magazine.
After the news was announced that the athlete was named as one of the top Chinese sportsperson of the year, the official Ning Zetao Weibo account was flooded with congratulatory compliments.
Other sport personalities who made it to the list include prominent Chinese female volleyball player Zhu Ting, Su Bingtian, Liu Hong, Sun Yang, Guo Chuan, Yi Jianlian, Chen Penbin, Chen Long and soccer player Zheng Zhi.
Talking about Ning Zetao, he was born in Henan's capital city, Zhengzhou. As Zetao was his parent's only child, he had to serve for four years in the air force reserve before he went on to work for a state broadcasting outlet. He started swimming when he was eight years old.
It was after Zetao's parents took him for a swimming lesson to help him overcome his fear of water and improve his own physical health that they discovered his love for swimming. Guo Hongyan, Zetao's childhood coach, noticed his dedication for swimming.
Ning Zetao was accepted into the swimming team while serving for the PLA Navy division. He was initially trained for the 400-meter and 200-meter individual medley race. But after Zetao suffered from a recurring knee injury, he was forced to switch from individual medley to sprint freestyle.
At the age of 16, he competed for his first National games where he stood eighth at the 200-meter medley. Ning participated in his first sprint freestyle competition during the 2011 Chinese National Swimming Championships where he competed in the 100-meter freestyle course and finished in fourth place, according to Korea Portal.