Table tennis: Chunli wins gold in women's singles

MANCHESTER - Li Chunli may be entering her golden years but the Chinese-born New Zealander now has a medal with a colour to match after winning the women's table tennis singles final here today.

The 40-year-old had her greatest moment since switching allegiance to compete for New Zealand 18 years ago, upsetting a world-class player half her age, world No 9 and top seed Li Jia Wei 11-6 11-9 5-11 11-5 11-8.

Chunli raised her arms and let out a typically passionate cry after beating the 20-year-old who stood between her and better medals in three other events this week.

New Zealand's most decorated athlete at the Games, Chunli won a women's doubles silver medal with younger sister Karen Li, a mixed doubles bronze with Peter Jackson and was unbeaten in helping her adopted country to the women's team bronze.

She agreed she was playing better now than at any of the last three Olympic Games she has attended.

"At my age, many people think I can't play that well. I wasn't sure myself, I've just tried to keep it going," Chunli said.

"At the moment, I feel the body is no problem. It's just the technique. It's all mental. I have no plan to stop playing, I like table tennis so much."

She had spent the buildup to the Games planning carefully and used specific tactics against each opponent.

"It was really close today. She had played really well here, I tried to hit a lot of balls into her body and tried to hit harder.

"I thought I could be champion."

Coach Simeon Cairns said Chunli would not have had such success if she had stayed in China.

"Over in China, a lot of the players are made to retire at about 24-26 because coaches don't believe they are physically fit enough after that," he said.

"I think a lot of players get smart when they're older and providing they keep intensity up in their training. They do have to rest their body a bit more but Chunli still trains five hours a day."

She is based in Tokyo where she plays in a televised Superleague against men.

Chunli admitted it was good for her game because her male opponents were extra-determined not to lose.

"I think I have practised harder in Japan, playing against men has really helped me."

As a professional player, she won the Chinese women's singles title in 1982, third in the World Cup for New Zealand in 1997. She won silver in the Commonwealth championships last year, where she was beaten by Wei in the singles final.

- NZPA

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