.The performance in the stands at Roland Garrosu00e2 $ s Court Philippe-Chatrier was actually populated with vermillion streamers, including a radiance to the actually orangey sky originating off the reddish clay court.These were actually Mandarin flagsu00e2 $" manies themu00e2 $" swing in energetic assistance for Qinwen Zheng, 21, who would soon take gold by defeating Croatiau00e2 $ s Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-3 in the womenu00e2 $ s single people ping pong final.As she lay down on the dirt, eyes skyward and also fists prolonged right into the Paris fog, the winu00e2 $ s gravitation appeared to sign up: Zheng had merely created the sort of past that stretched much past the stadium as well as the minute. This was actually Chinau00e2 $ s first-ever Olympic gold award in the sportu00e2 $" and also Zheng had made clear of the fact that the Olympics were actually as, or even even more, necessary to her than a Grand Slam.Zheng celebrates her Olympic triumph on August 3.Image: Getty Imagesu00e2 $ In China, we always feel a countryu00e2 $ s respect resides in front end of individual results, u00e2 $ she claimed over an early morning appointment at Nikeu00e2 $ s Sportsmen Property, tucked discreetly between the Stade de France and also the Aquatics Facility in Parisu00e2 $ s St. Denis location, the time after her triumph. u00e2 $ I handled [the Games] differentlyu00e2 $" the emotional state, the match, the mindset: It felt various than every other event Iu00e2 $ ve played.u00e2 $ Born in 2002 in Shiyan, China, Zheng started playing tennis at age 7. At grow older eight, she relocated, without her mother and also dad, to Wuhan for far better training, and also due to the fact that teenage years she has deeply admired and followed Chinese athletes, such as the ping pong superstar Li Na and also the jogger Liu Xiang, who gained gold at the 2004 Athens Games.u00e2 $ It was truly difficult, u00e2 $ Zheng stated, recalling at those early days. u00e2 $ My mommy utilized ahead check out on weekend breaks. When she left behind, I would certainly keep her lower leg and weep. When she was gone, I would constantly keep her coat. This was until I was 13. After thirteen, my mom made a decision to quit her work and come stay with me full time, just to possess far better growth and much better care. Afterwards, it acquired less complicated. And we transferred to Europe when I was actually 17. u00e2 $.