.The performance in the stands at Roland Garrosu00e2 $ s Court Philippe-Chatrier was dotted with vermillion ensigns, including a radiance to the currently orangey air emanating off the red clay-based court.These were actually Chinese flagsu00e2 $" hundreds of themu00e2 $" swaying in loud support for Qinwen Zheng, 21, that 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 fists stretched in to the Paris haze, the winu00e2 $ s gravitation seemed to sign up: Zheng had only shaped the sort of history that stretched far past the arena and also the moment. This was Chinau00e2 $ s first-ever Olympic gold medal in the sportu00e2 $" and Zheng had actually made no secret of the reality that the Olympics were actually as, if not more, important to her than a Grand Slam.Zheng celebrates her Olympic victory on August 3.Picture: Getty Imagesu00e2 $ In China, we regularly strongly believe a countryu00e2 $ s honor remains in face of individual effectiveness, u00e2 $ she stated over an early morning conference at Nikeu00e2 $ s Athlete Residence, tucked quietly in between the Stade de France as well as the Aquatics Centre in Parisu00e2 $ s St. Denis location, the day after her conquest. u00e2 $ I dealt with [the Games] differentlyu00e2 $" the feeling, the match, the mindset: It experienced different than intermittent competition Iu00e2 $ ve played.u00e2 $ Born in 2002 in Shiyan, China, Zheng began playing tennis at age seven. At grow older eight, she relocated, without her mother and father, to Wuhan for much better mentoring, and also given that adolescence she has heavily admired as well as mimicked Mandarin professional athletes, such as the ping pong star Li Na and the runner Liu Xiang, that won gold at the 2004 Athens Games.u00e2 $ It was actually actually difficult, u00e2 $ Zheng claimed, recalling at those very early days. u00e2 $ My mother used ahead visit on weekend breaks. When she left, I will keep her leg and cry. When she was actually gone, I would certainly constantly keep her jacket. This was actually until I was actually 13. After thirteen, my mother made a decision to stop her work and also happen stay with me full-time, only to have better development and also much better treatment. After that, it obtained simpler. As well as our experts transferred to Europe when I was 17. u00e2 $.