Zhiying Zeng isn't eager to travel to Portugal's world-renowned table tennis training facility, the Mirandela Center, for her preparation with her Olympic teammates ahead of the Paris Olympics. She prefers instead to train in a Santiago de Chile sports complex where she practices three times a week from Monday to Friday. Her dedication is unwavering as she trains underground and endures tremors above while managing shoulder pain, an issue that worsens with age.
Zeng has been honing her table tennis skills for decades, transitioning between professional athleticism and entrepreneurship in Chile. A Chinese immigrant who first moved to Chile in 1989 after a brief stint as a coach, she eventually found success as an importer of Chinese goods, earning the nickname "Tania" among Chileans. Despite her age, Zeng has made remarkable progress in table tennis since 2002 and is now preparing for the Olympics at the ripe old age of 57.
The Chilean sports landscape saw an unprecedented heroine emerge when Zeng competed in the Pan-American Games last year. Despite not being selected to represent her country at this year's world championships, she remains undeterred and is determined to make a mark as one of the oldest Olympians competing in Paris 2024. Her unwavering perseverance embodies a message for people of all ages – never give up on your dreams.
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