When you are over half a hundred years old, will you still fight for your dreams? Zeng Zhiying said "yes" because she wanted to participate in the Olympics.
Zeng Zhiying, 58, is the second-oldest table tennis player at the Olympics, behind 61-year-old Ni Xialian.
Zeng Zhiying was born in China in 1966, was selected for the national team when he was young, and failed to qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. After that, she was invited to teach in Chile, where she got married, had children, and started a business. During the pandemic, Zeng regained his love for table tennis and made it all the way to the Chile national team at the age of 57.
"When I came back to table tennis after more than 30 years, I wanted to push forward, and if I could participate in the Olympics, my dream would have come true. During that time, I was training hard and taking every game seriously. Luckily, luck. ”
On July 27, Zeng Zhiying was in the women's singles preliminaries of table tennis at the Paris Olympics. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Dongzhen
The seeds planted since childhood finally came to fruition, and Aunt Zeng stood on the Olympic stage as she wished.
On the afternoon of July 27, Zeng Zhiying faced 46-year-old Lebanon player Sahakian at table 1 in Hall 4 of the South Paris Arena.
In this year's Paris Olympics, there are 67 players in the men's and women's singles, of which the top 61 players are directly placed in the top 64 lot, and the remaining 6 players in the bottom row will first participate in the preliminaries to compete for the remaining 3 main draw places. Zeng Zhiying and Sahakian are competing for qualification in the main event.
As soon as it came up, Zeng Zhiying's chipping made the opponent very uncomfortable, and Aunt Zeng won the first game 11:4. After that, the opponent gradually found a rhythm, and the two frequently shot back and forth, waiting for opportunities to find opportunities, but Zeng Zhiying's mistakes increased significantly, and he quickly gave up 4 games, and finally lost 1:4 and missed the main game.
On July 27, Zeng Zhiying was in the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Dongzhen
In the mixed interview area, Aunt Zeng admitted frankly that she did not regret the "round trip" of the Olympics. "Although I want to win or not, it doesn't matter, if I can't win, I have to work hard to prove it." "The opponent was really patient, except for the first game which was a little messy, and then he kept playing at the same pace," she said. ”
At the opening ceremony the night before, Zeng Zhiying participated in the Seine River cruise with the Chile delegation, and coincidentally, Chile and the Chinese delegation were on the same boat, which allowed Aunt Zeng to meet many old teammates who had not met for a long time, including Li Falcon, the head coach of the national table tennis women's team. "We greeted each other, took pictures, everyone was very happy, and I said that I belonged to both China and Chile." The corners of Aunt Zeng's eyes narrowed, "The dream that I couldn't realize in China has come true in Chile." Therefore, people should not give up easily. ”
On July 27, Zeng Zhiying was in the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Dongzhen
"Will you be at the next Olympics?" The reporter asked.
"If I can keep playing in South America or the Americas, of course I'll try hard. I tried to learn from Grandma Ni, who was my role model. Aunt Zeng replied.
That evening, 61-year-old Luxembourg veteran Ni Xialian appeared and successfully advanced to the Women's Singles Round of 32 after defeating her opponent. Zeng Zhiying knows that although he will not have the opportunity to compete with Grandma Ni in this Olympic Games, everyone will always meet - because love can last a long time.
"Although it was the third watch in the middle of the night
But I'm still very excited."
France local time on the 28th
The oldest table tennis player at the Paris Olympics,
Ni Xialian, the flag bearer of the Luxembourg delegation
on short video platforms
He shared his feelings after the game
She said
After advancing to the round of 32
"I have a chance to fight with Sun Yingsha"
27th local time
61-year-old Ni Xialian won 4-2
Victory over Turkey's Altinkaya
Advance to the round of 32
28th local time
Table tennis women's singles match
China's Sun Yingsha won
Advance to the round of 32
In the next round, Sun Yingsha will face Ni Xialian
When asked what to look forward to
During the match with Ni Xialian
23-year-old Sun Yingsha said
"Aunt Ni is a role model for many people in the table tennis world
I'm looking forward to playing with Aunt Ni
Learn more from her."
Ni Xialian said jokingly
"I cleared the way for Sun Yingsha
It's an honor to have the opportunity to learn from her
I'm trying to win one more point
Hopefully it's a bit better."
As one of the legendary female players in the world table tennis today
Ni Xialian in the 37th World Table Tennis Championships in 1983
He has won the team championship on behalf of the Chinese team
In 1986, Ni Xialian retired from the national team
At the 2000 Sydney Olympics
The 37-year-old represented Luxembourg
I fulfilled my Olympic dream
and reached the top 16 of the women's singles
Source: ITTF
After winning the European Women's Singles Championship in 2002
Ni Xialian gradually faded out of the table tennis arena
When people thought again and again that she was going to retire
She participated again in a row
2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics
Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020
This year's Paris Olympics
It is the sixth time that Ni Xialian has stood on the Olympic stage
Ni Xialian qualified for the Tokyo Olympics (Source: ITTF)
The match between Sun Yingsha and Ni Xialian will be
It will be carried out on the 31st local time
Looking forward to two athletes
Let's have a hearty game
Come on!
Source: People's Daily