At the age of 58!
Olympic dream fulfilled at the age of 58!
What a story! Zhiying Zeng proves that it's never too late. At the age of 58, she has fulfilled her dream of competing at the Olympics. The table tennis player, who plays under the Chilean flag, had actually given up on her dream 38 years ago...
Zeng played table tennis in China from the age of eleven, was successful, won tournaments and dreamed of the Olympics, as she told the British newspaper "The Guardian". But at the age of 20, she turned her back on the Chinese national team and moved to Chile, where she has now lived with her husband and son for 35 years.
The reason for her resignation at the time was the "two-color rule" that was introduced. Since 1986, players have had to use two-colored rackets. This allowed players to recognize which rubber their opponent was using and better predict spin and speed. "The rule destroyed my game," says Zeng. "I felt weak, psychologically and technically."
At my age, you have to play with joy, not fear.
Zhiying Zeng
But 38 years later, she is taking part in the Olympic Games in Paris. How did that happen? During the coronavirus pandemic, she bought a table tennis table and took part (for fun) in many local tournaments in Chile, where she was able to show off her skills again - and her love of the sport returned.
By 2023, she was the top-ranked player in the country and had qualified for a place on the Chilean national team. She won gold at the 2023 "Sudamericanos", bronze at the Pan American Games and qualified for Paris in the singles. Her coach says of Zeng: "She hasn't played for 20 years and within a year she's won everything you can win."
And Zeng is looking forward to the adventure in Paris. She trains for three hours a day. She would like to train longer, but "when you're young, nothing hurts, if I play too much now, I get shoulder pain," says Zeng.
"It's important to never give up"
"At my age, you have to play with joy, not fear," Zeng continues, emphasizing how proud she is to represent Chile. "I love this country. I wasn't able to realize my dream in China, but I can here. It's important to never give up."
A medal at the Olympic Games would probably be the icing on the cake.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
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