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Table tennis pro Zhiying Zeng has made her Olympic debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics following her remarkable return to table tennis at age 58. After moving to Latin America, having a son, and even retiring, she has finally fulfilled her dream of becoming an Olympian. Representing Chile, Zeng will be one of the eldest athletes competing at Olympic Games, alongside equestrians Jimenez Cobo, 65, and Steffen Peters, 59.
Born in Guangzhou, China, in 1966, Zeng was raised with table tennis as her mother was a coach. At the age of 12, Zeng became a table tennis professional with multiple tournaments under her belt. Four years later, she joined China’s national team.
“It was the biggest dream of my life,” she told CNN. “Even when I was a little girl and they would ask me what my dream was, I would say: ‘Become an Olympian.’”
However, Zeng’s streak ended when table tennis introduced a new rule where paddles with two sides had to be different. This caused the athlete to have to change her technique drastically, making her shots more predictable. As a result, Zeng left the national team.
The next chapter of her career began with an invitation to coach table tennis in northern Chile. While there, the gifted athlete adopted the name Tania because Chileans struggled pronouncing her first name. Zeng has since stayed in Chile for 35 years but didn't play competitively again until after she introduced her teenage son to the sport in the early 2000s. After winning two tournaments in 2004 and 2005, she stopped once again. Zeng didn’t touch a paddle again until the pandemic hit two decades later.
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“More than anything, just to exercise because we weren’t doing anything locked down in the house except eating,” Zeng recalls. “I got the bug and, once we were able to leave, I immediately wanted to play against someone to see what level I was at—and see if I could still run or not.”
Zeng began playing in regional tournaments in her hometown of Iquique, Chile. At 57, she competed in the 2023 South American Table Tennis Championships, leading her country to first place in the team tournament and securing second place in both the singles and women’s doubles. Zeng’s iconicity took off at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, where she became a beloved figure to Chileans for her strength and resilience at her age. One fan even affectionately referred to Zeng as “table tennis grandma.”
This past Saturday, July 27, Zeng lost against Lebanon’s representative in the preliminary table tennis rounds of the Paris 2024 Olympics. However, she was encouraged at the Olympic Games and throughout her career by friends and family, including her 92-year-old father, who supports her from China.
Zeng’s story is a powerful example of the deep passion we can hold for something and how it’s possible to achieve our dreams at any age. Her journey—including three career pauses, adapting to new rules, and making a debut on the world stage—demonstrates what pure determination and perseverance can bring.
At age 58, Zhiying Zeng has achieved her dream of becoming an Olympian by competing in table tennis at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, despite facing multiple career pauses.
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After starting her table tennis career in China, Zeng moved to Chile to coach. While there, she adopted the name Tania Zeng.
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She made a remarkable comeback during the pandemic, winning at regional tournaments and gaining recognition at the 2023 Pan American Games.
Zeng’s story exemplifies the power of determination, perseverance, and the ability to achieve dreams at any age.
Zhiying “Tania” Zeng: Instagram
h/t: [CNN]
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