‘Inability to breathe for 6 minutes’: former China Olympic champion gymnast reveals he needs ventilator to sleep for rest of life
- Multiple gold-medal winning athlete Yang Wei reveals he has potentially deadly respiratory condition sleep apnea
- Decorated athlete says he thought he was healthier than average for a person his age because he works out several times a week
Former Chinese gymnast and Olympic champion Yang Wei has revealed that he has a potentially deadly respiratory condition that means he will have to use a ventilator to help him sleep at night for the rest of his life.
In a post on his Douyin social media account, the 43-year-old gold medalist said doctors have diagnosed him with sleep apnea, a condition caused by narrowed airways which leads to heavy snoring and constant bouts of not breathing.
Yang said medical experts told him that on some occasions his breathing stopped for up to six minutes during sleep, a potential threat to his life which would require him to use a ventilator.
The athlete said he thought he was healthier than average for a person of his age because he works out several times a week at his home gym and has passed physical tests.
Yang began to train as a gymnast when he was five years old and a glittering career saw him win multiple gold medals in individual and team competitions, including two at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
