Recently, with the end of the WTT Singapore Grand Slam, the latest edition of the ITTF World Rankings has also been released. In the new edition of the world rankings, the national table tennis players are still at the forefront of many individual events. In addition, in the women's doubles world rankings, 59-year-old Ni Xialian and her partner Nat have soared from sixth to third, creating the duo and Luxembourg's all-time high in the event.
Born in 1963, Ni Xialian was selected for the Chinese national team as early as the 1970s and won the world championship. After that, Ni Xialian went to Europe, originally she was invited to Luxembourg as a coach, but with the time to retire, Ni Xialian became a Luxembourg national and began to represent Luxembourg in the competition, and has continued to do so until now.
"Originally they wanted me to be a coach, but then they realized I could still play, and I thought so, so they picked up the racket and it was 30 years." Ni Xialian recalled.
Although with the increase of age, Ni Xialian's movement and physical fitness have declined significantly, but she still relies on her delicate skills and unique love for table tennis to be active on the field.
At last year's Tokyo Olympics, Ni Xialian competed for the fifth time, becoming the oldest athlete. At the WTT Slovenia Challenge in November, Ni Xialian even eliminated Wang Yidi, the main force of national table tennis, which also caused heated discussion at the time. Later, at the Houston World Table Tennis Championships, she won the bronze medal in women's doubles with her partner Nat. Ni Xialian, who was 58 years old at the time, also refreshed the history of the World Table Tennis Championships, the oldest player to win a medal.
At the just-concluded Singapore Grand Slam, Ni Xialian reached the women's doubles quarterfinals, which also allowed her and her partner Nutt to soar from sixth to third in the world ranking. In response, Ni Xialian said: "Unbelievable, the doubles world ranking has reached the top three, I have become younger and ready to accept more challenges! ”
Ni Xialian, 59, has entered the preparation cycle of the Paris Olympics, and her goal is to get tickets to the Paris Olympics. If it can be realized, then Ni Xialian, who will be 61 years old at that time, will once again break the age record of the participants in the history of the Olympic Games. At the same time, this "grandma" level player will also become the "elder of the six dynasties" of the Olympic Games.