.The performance in the stands at Roland Garrosu00e2 $ s Court Philippe-Chatrier was populated with vermillion banners, adding a glow to the currently orangey sky rising off the reddish clay-based court.These were Mandarin flagsu00e2 $" thousands of themu00e2 $" swing in loud assistance for Qinwen Zheng, 21, who would very soon take gold by beating Croatiau00e2 $ s Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-3 in the womenu00e2 $ s songs ping pong final.As she set on the dust, eyes skyward and also fists prolonged into the Paris fog, the winu00e2 $ s gravitation seemed to be to enroll: Zheng had only created the type of background that expanded far past the stadium and also the moment. This was Chinau00e2 $ s first-ever Olympic gold medal in the sportu00e2 $" and also Zheng had created obvious of the truth that the Olympics were actually as, or even more, important to her than a Grand Slam.Zheng commemorates her Olympic triumph on August 3.Image: Getty Imagesu00e2 $ In China, we always think a countryu00e2 $ s tribute remains in front of private success, u00e2 $ she mentioned over a morning meeting at Nikeu00e2 $ s Professional athlete Residence, put quietly between the Stade de France as well as the Aquatics Centre in Parisu00e2 $ s St. Denis area, the day after her victory. u00e2 $ I treated [the Gamings] differentlyu00e2 $" the emotional state, the battle, the way of thinking: It experienced various than every other competition Iu00e2 $ ve played.u00e2 $ Born in 2002 in Shiyan, China, Zheng started participating in tennis at age 7. At grow older 8, she moved, without her mommy and daddy, to Wuhan for much better training, and because adolescence she has greatly admired as well as mimicked Chinese athletes, such as the ping pong star Li Na as well as the runner Liu Xiang, who won gold at the 2004 Athens Games.u00e2 $ It was actually actually challenging, u00e2 $ Zheng claimed, recalling at those very early times. u00e2 $ My mother made use of to come go to on weekend breaks. When she left, I would keep her leg and also cry. When she was actually gone, I would constantly keep her coat. This was actually up until I was actually 13. After 13, my mom chose to stop her work as well as come stick with me permanent, simply to possess better growth and much better care. Afterwards, it received less complicated. And our company transferred to Europe when I was 17. u00e2 $.