.The performance in the stands at Roland Garrosu00e2 $ s Courtroom Philippe-Chatrier was populated with vermillion banners, adding a radiance to the already orangey sky originating off the red clay-based court.These were actually Mandarin flagsu00e2 $" thousands of themu00e2 $" waving in loud help for Qinwen Zheng, 21, who would soon take gold through defeating Croatiau00e2 $ s Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-3 in the womenu00e2 $ s singles tennis final.As she set on the dust, eyes skyward as well as fists stretched in to the Paris fog, the winu00e2 $ s gravitation appeared to register: Zheng had just forged the kind of past that prolonged far past the coliseum and the second. This was Chinau00e2 $ s first-ever Olympic gold award in the sportu00e2 $" and also Zheng had actually made obvious of the reality that the Olympics were actually as, if not even more, necessary to her than a Grand Slam.Zheng celebrates her Olympic victory on August 3.Picture: Getty Imagesu00e2 $ In China, our experts always strongly believe a countryu00e2 $ s tribute resides in face of individual excellence, u00e2 $ she pointed out over a morning meeting at Nikeu00e2 $ s Athlete Property, tucked inconspicuously between the Stade de France as well as the Aquatics Centre in Parisu00e2 $ s St. Denis place, the day after her accomplishment. u00e2 $ I dealt with [the Video games] differentlyu00e2 $" the emotion, the fight, the mentality: It felt various than every other competition Iu00e2 $ ve played.u00e2 $ Birthed in 2002 in Shiyan, China, Zheng began participating in ping pong at age seven. At grow older eight, she relocated, without her mother and also daddy, to Wuhan for much better training, as well as since teenage years she has deeply appreciated and also replicated Chinese professional athletes, such as the tennis star Li Na and the jogger Liu Xiang, who won gold at the 2004 Athens Games.u00e2 $ It was actually really difficult, u00e2 $ Zheng pointed out, looking back at those early times. u00e2 $ My mommy used to find go to on weekends. When she left, I would certainly secure her lower leg and cry. When she was actually gone, I would consistently hold her jacket. This was until I was thirteen. After 13, my mama determined to quit her task and happen remain with me full time, merely to have better development as well as better treatment. Afterwards, it got less complicated. And our company moved to Europe when I was 17. u00e2 $.