Olympics star makes debut aged 58 after rule change saw her give up sport for 20 years

Good things come to those who wait is a phrase that certainly applies to one Olympic competitor who waited until the age of 58 years old to make her debut.

Taking part in the 2024 Paris Olympics in what is her first ever Games, Zhiying Zeng is evidence that those who don't get where they want to be immediately in life need not think it's 'over' for good.

For Zeng, getting to the Olympics took 40 years longer than she might have expected; with half of that time spent giving up the sport altogether.

Eyes on the prize. (JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)

The athlete, of Chinese-Chilean descent, represented Chile in the 2024 Games in what was a historic moment for the table tennis player.

Born in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, Zeng's childhood was spent learning the ways of table tennis from a very young age, given her mother was a table tennis coach.

Raised around professional players, she got the inside track on the sport from a very young age and was trained by her mum until she reached the age of nine before moving in to a sports academy set up from the age of 11.

Her skill was clear to see, moving up the ranks and becoming a junior national champion in China.

By the time she was 16-years-old, Zeng was incorporated in to the Chinese national team. But that was when everything changed.

Back in 1986, when Zeng was 20, rule changes for the 1988 Seoul Olympics saw every table tennis racket needing to be made up of two different coloured sides.

She gave up the game for 20 years. (RODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP via Getty Images)

The standard colours are red and black which you'll recognise instantly if you've ever picked one up, with one side having more grip than the other.

The problem for Zeng was that her skillset and game relied heavily on discreetly flipping her table tennis racket to take advantage of either side without her opponent knowing. Cheeky.

"So many players in China have the dream [to represent the country] because it’s so hard to achieve. The change of rules affected my game a lot," she told CNN.

"That’s when I had a big downturn and left the national team."

As a result, Zeng gave up competing in table tennis aged just 20, taking up a coaching role in Chile in 1989, before returning for a brief spell in 2003 to 2005 before hanging up the racket to take her son to table tennis competitions of his own.

Zeng competing in Paris. (JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)

Fast-forward to the Covid pandemic, where Zeng said she 'got the bug' once again after playing 'just to exercise because we weren't doing anything locked down in the house except eat'.

Qualifying for the 2023 South American Table Tennis Championships aged 57, she won bronze in the 2023 Pan American Games, granting her the ability to represent Chile in the Paris Games.

"My dad was able to see his daughter qualify for the Olympics," she said. "He used to take me training and to matches when I was a girl and now at 57, I made it. I made it."

Zeng lost in the preliminary rounds of the 2024 Games, but she doesn't feel sad about it. Instead, she said: "My husband, my sons, everyone I love and care about were there shouting my name. I feel so content."

Zeng's story went viral on X, with her being labelled an 'inspiration to follow your dreams'.

Another wrote: "What a legend," and a third posted: "Inspiring story. What a redemption."