.The performance in the stands at Roland Garrosu00e2 $ s Courthouse Philippe-Chatrier was actually dotted with vermillion banners, incorporating a radiance to the currently orangey air rising off the reddish clay-based court.These were actually Chinese flagsu00e2 $" hundreds of themu00e2 $" waving in energetic support for Qinwen Zheng, 21, who will quickly take gold by defeating Croatiau00e2 $ s Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-3 in the womenu00e2 $ s singles ping pong final.As she put down on the gunk, eyes skyward as well as fists prolonged in to the Paris fog, the winu00e2 $ s gravity seemed to be to register: Zheng had just created the kind of background that prolonged much past the coliseum and also the second. This was actually Chinau00e2 $ s first-ever Olympic gold medal in the sportu00e2 $" and also Zheng had made no secret of the fact that the Olympics were as, or even additional, significant to her than a Grand Slam.Zheng celebrates her Olympic victory on August 3.Image: Getty Imagesu00e2 $ In China, our team constantly strongly believe a countryu00e2 $ s honor resides in face of private excellence, u00e2 $ she mentioned over an early morning conference at Nikeu00e2 $ s Sportsmen Home, put inconspicuously between the Stade de France and also the Aquatics Center in Parisu00e2 $ s St. Denis location, the day after her triumph. u00e2 $ I managed [the Gamings] differentlyu00e2 $" the feeling, the match, the way of thinking: It really felt different than every other event Iu00e2 $ ve played.u00e2 $ Birthed in 2002 in Shiyan, China, Zheng began participating in tennis at grow older 7. At age eight, she relocated, without her mother as well as dad, to Wuhan for better mentoring, and also considering that adolescence she has actually heavily admired as well as emulated Mandarin professional athletes, like the ping pong celebrity Li Na and the distance runner Liu Xiang, that gained gold at the 2004 Athens Games.u00e2 $ It was actually definitely hard, u00e2 $ Zheng stated, looking back at those very early times. u00e2 $ My mom utilized to follow visit on weekends. When she left, I will keep her leg as well as cry. When she was gone, I would constantly hold her coat. This was actually up until I was actually thirteen. After thirteen, my mommy determined to stop her job and also come remain with me full-time, simply to have better development as well as much better treatment. After that, it obtained simpler. As well as our experts relocated to Europe when I was 17. u00e2 $.