When she retired in 1997, Deng Yaping (then 24) had won more titles than any other paddler, including four Olympic gold and 18 world championship titles.

 

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World No 1 from 1990 to 1997, she was voted China's female athlete of the century and in 2003 joined the International Table Tennis Federation Hall of Fame.

 

Now she is pursuing a doctorate in economics and serves as a member of the International Olympic Committee's Athletes Commission.

 

But for Deng, becoming a table tennis legend wasn't always on the cards. Her short stature proved a handicap.

 

"When I was 10 years' old, the provincial team turned me down because of my height," she said. "But I was still doing well in competitions.

 

"Then my father asked me whether I was ready to admit defeat. I told him I wouldn't as I was no worse than any of the other players (on the team)," she recalled.

 

"Since only results count in competitive sports, I decided to stick with it and prove myself."

 

Her tenacity paid off and Deng has never left the sporting world.

 

As the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games nears, she will participate again as a member of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).

 

"Although we haven't decided when I'll assume my new post, I feel happy to be back at BOCOG," she said.

 

Deng has been working there since 2003, when she returned from studying abroad and transferred to the State General Administration of Sport.

 

She was appointed deputy director of BOCOG's Olympic Village Department, where her rich experience is expected to well serve the committee and athletes.

 

Deng said the Olympic Games will leave a valuable legacy on the city and country.

 

"The Olympic Games is not only a sporting event, but a grand gala to bring China into focus from a global perspective," she said. "Apart from first-class venues and facilities, there will be a 'spiritual' legacy in terms of improved manners and international-level working standards.

 

"Such legacies will last long after the 2008 Games, as China's sports become more mature and rational."

 

Deng took her career to another level after retiring, making up for lost time by studying at China's renowned Tsinghua University and joining the Athletes Commission, which meant new responsibilities.

 

"As the only Chinese member in the commission, I felt a new kind of pressure back then," the 34-year-old said.

 

"But that in turn motivated me to do well. I told myself, no matter how difficult it is, I will succeed."

 

This mental toughness helped her overcome a difficult academic start.

 

"At first, I was at the bottom of my class," she said. "But later on I realized that, while I was short on knowledge, I had built a lot of experience and other skills. I mean, I had already shouldered the hopes of the country. This helped me regain my confidence."

 

Ten years after retiring as an athlete, Deng has a Bachelor's degree from Tsinghua University and a Master's from England's Nottingham University. She is now studying for a PhD in Land Economy at Cambridge.

 

She also juggles her time between her job and her one-year-old baby.

 

"Working and studying are very tiring," she said. "I need a lot of self-discipline. To get my PhD dissertation and IOC affairs done, I have to sacrifice more social time."

 

(China Daily March 16, 2007)