Inspiring stories of athletes: table tennis champion Deng Yaping

There have been numerous reports and news about her, and her stories and experiences are familiar to many people. We will simply elaborate as follows: Born on February 6, 1973 in Zhengzhou, Henan, he is 1.50 meters tall. She learned to play from her father at the age of 5 and joined the national team in 1988. At the age of 13, she won the national championship and the Asian championship at the age of 15. At the age of 16, she became the double champion of women's team and women's doubles at the World Championships. During her sports career, she won 18 world championships (second only to Wang Nan with 23), and won 4 Olympic championships for two consecutive years (1992 Barcelona women's singles and doubles, 1996 Atlanta women's singles and doubles). She has remained No. 1 in the table tennis world rankings for 8 consecutive years and is the female athlete who has been ranked No. 1 in the world for the longest time.

Table tennis was officially listed as an Olympic event in 1988. Table tennis accounted for 2 of the 5 Olympic gold medals won by the Chinese Legion that year. Four years later, in 1992, the Chinese table tennis team became more dominant, and Deng Yaping also created an era of her own.

Deng Yaping’s achievements are unparalleled by others. She has become one of the synonyms of Chinese sports. Former International Olympic Committee President Samaranch likes to watch her games the most and will cordially give her awards. He patted her cheek and invited her to the headquarters of the National Olympic Committee in Lausanne.

After 1997, retired Deng Yaping went to Tsinghua University, the University of Cambridge and the University of Nottingham for further studies, and obtained a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in contemporary Chinese studies. In 2002, Deng Yaping served on two committees, the Ethics Committee and the Sports and Environment Committee of the International Olympic Committee. In 2003, Deng Yaping became a staff member of the Market Development Department of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee. Currently, Deng Yaping serves as deputy director of the Olympic Village Department of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee.

After the earthquake in Wenchuan, Sichuan, as a representative of the sports community, Deng Yaping rushed to the disaster area together with Yang Yang, Gao Min and other Olympic champions to participate in post-disaster psychological relief. In fact, Deng Yaping's own experience is an inspirational role model. She was blocked from the sports school gate when she first started practicing because of her height. However, she did not give up prematurely because she loved table tennis. Under the guidance of her father, She studied and practiced hard, tied sandbags, and played more than 10,000 balls and balls every day. More than ten years of hard training enabled her to overcome her height disadvantage and changed the traditional concept in the table tennis world of only selecting athletes among tall people. This spirit also influenced her path after retirement. She still did not shrink from her studies. From having 26 English letters to being an official of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee, Deng Yaping has proven her strength outside of table tennis.

She has also become a model for athletes’ personal development.

There are many more stories about Deng Yaping. She is a two-time Beijing Olympic bid representative, four-time Olympic torchbearer and now an official of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee. Every sprint outside the field will remind people of her energy when playing basketball. Son: Fearless, tenacious and highly confident.