On Wednesday (31 July), 61-year-old table tennis player Ni Xialian, representing Luxembourg, concluded her run at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Despite her loss, Ni, the oldest table tennis player at the Games, was honoured with a standing ovation from the crowd, who celebrated her passion and sportsmanship.
Ni, visibly moved, waved to the audience and bowed with tears in her eyes.
Source: @thinking_panda on X
According to Reuters, she was defeated by China’s Sun Yingsha in the round of 32 with a score of 4-0.
Despite her loss, Ni expressed gratitude for the opportunity to compete against Sun, the world’s top-ranked player.
She noted that the experience highlighted the demands of holding such a prestigious title.
“Many shots that would score in other games were just like scratching an itch for her, barely affecting her at all,” Ni reflected.
A Shanghai-born athlete, Ni won world championship gold medals for China in 1983 at the age of 19, according to the Washington Post.
She emigrated to Germany in 1989 and later settled in Luxembourg in 1991.
Ni made her Olympic debut for Luxembourg at the 2000 Sydney Games, just over a month before her opponent, Sun, was born.
According to the South China Morning Post, Ni’s vibrant personality endeared her to Chinese netizens, who affectionately began calling her “Auntie”.
Source: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images via The Guardian
“Auntie Ni looks like a very nice person, I feel so much joy watching her play. This is what sports is really about,” one Weibo user commented.
Ni’s playful style featured no-look shots and celebratory air punches when she scored, and she would exclaim “aiyah” when she missed.
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Featured image adapted from Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images via The Guardian
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