A four-time Olympian, USA’s table tennis player Lily Ann Zhang, is running her fourth Summer Olympics this year. Having had a successful course so far, she recently made it to the top 16 players in women’s singles in Paris after beating Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi by 4-2. With her humble beginnings with Chinese immigrant parents, Zhang witnessed an inspiring growth journey, starting with representing the USA at the 2012 London Olympics. However, she did not have her parents’ support in the early days of her career, who wanted her to prioritise academics.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, the 28-year-old’s mother, Linda Liu, shared that they always try to make her stop playing and instead have a normal job. “We are traditional Chinese parents. We always want her to focus on school. I always wanted her to get a job and be a regular girl,” she said.
Acknowledging her mother’s concerns, Zhang opened up about the uncertainties of a sports career and said, “There’s so many things that can happen that can take away your stability in an instant.” Even after her inaugural 2012 London Olympics, her parents had quipped, “…now you can focus on studies.” Lily had almost quit table tennis after her graduation, deliberating over her parents’ suggestions.
However, despite the stereotypes and her parents’ expectations, Zhang seemed to have excelled in the field and proven her potential in table tennis. Her parents were even among the biggest cheerleaders as she advanced to R16 at the Paris Olympics 2024.
More About Lily Zhang
Born in California to Chinese parents, Lily Ann Zhang grew up on the Stanford University campus, where her father worked as a mathematics professor. Her mother was a former table tennis player who even competed in Xi’an, thus explaining the strong sporting influence on her.
She started training in table tennis at the age of 7 on their dining table. Later, her competitive journey began in 2007, following which she earned numerous accolades throughout her career. She not only helped secure Team USA’s first-ever championship bronze medal in 2021 but is also an American Games medalist and a Youth Olympics bronze medalist.
It is now to be seen if Zhang can bring a medal in table tennis for the United States in the ongoing Games.
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