.The performance in the stands at Roland Garrosu00e2 $ s Court Philippe-Chatrier was dotted along with vermillion streamers, adding a radiance to the presently orangey air emanating off the reddish clay-based court.These were Mandarin flagsu00e2 $" manies themu00e2 $" waving in energetic support for Qinwen Zheng, 21, who will very soon take gold through beating Croatiau00e2 $ s Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-3 in the womenu00e2 $ s songs tennis final.As she set on the dust, eyes skyward and also fists expanded in to the Paris haze, the winu00e2 $ s gravitational force seemed to enroll: Zheng had only built the kind of background that expanded much past the stadium and the second. This was actually Chinau00e2 $ s first-ever Olympic gold medal in the sportu00e2 $" and Zheng had made no secret of the reality that the Olympics were as, or even even more, necessary to her than a Grand Slam.Zheng commemorates her Olympic victory on August 3.Image: Getty Imagesu00e2 $ In China, we constantly think a countryu00e2 $ s tribute resides in front of individual effectiveness, u00e2 $ she claimed over a morning appointment at Nikeu00e2 $ s Professional athlete Home, tucked quietly between the Stade de France and also the Aquatics Center in Parisu00e2 $ s St. Denis location, the day after her accomplishment. u00e2 $ I dealt with [the Gamings] differentlyu00e2 $" the emotional state, the fight, the mindset: It experienced various than intermittent tournament Iu00e2 $ ve played.u00e2 $ Birthed in 2002 in Shiyan, China, Zheng started playing ping pong at grow older 7. At grow older 8, she relocated, without her mama and also daddy, to Wuhan for far better mentoring, and also considering that teenage years she has deeply admired as well as emulated Chinese athletes, like the ping pong celebrity Li Na and the runner Liu Xiang, who won gold at the 2004 Athens Games.u00e2 $ It was actually tough, u00e2 $ Zheng said, remembering at those very early days. u00e2 $ My mother made use of to come browse through on weekends. When she left, I will keep her leg as well as weep. When she was actually gone, I would certainly constantly keep her jacket. This was up until I was 13. After thirteen, my mommy determined to quit her task as well as come stick with me permanent, simply to have far better growth and much better care. Afterwards, it got simpler. And also our company relocated to Europe when I was 17. u00e2 $.