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World Table Tennis (WTT)
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Ex-China star Ni Xialian returns from injury, reviving hopes for Olympics shot at age 64

Veteran Luxembourg paddler says she is focused on enjoying the game after a wrist injury forced her out for more than half a year

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Ni Xialian posted on social media after winning her first match following her return from injury. Photo: Weibo
Stephy Zhang

Hopes have been renewed for 62-year-old Ni Xialian to appear at her seventh Olympics in 2028, after she shared a video on Tuesday celebrating her recovery from injury and her first win since returning to competition.

The former Chinese gold medallist, now representing Luxembourg, fractured her arm in a training accident in April and withdrew from the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships in Doha. After more than six months of recovery, she announced her comeback in October.

“To be able to play in a match is a special happiness,” said Ni, after winning a club match against Croatia. She said her injury had improved a lot after such a long rest, though she said she still needed to regain some flexibility and power in her game.
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“My biggest wish and goal is the next Olympics [2028 Los Angeles Olympics],” she said in her “comeback” video, but added that she faced “challenges with age, injury, ranking and stamina”.

Ni said she had not played any international matches since her injury, causing her world ranking to drop to “almost nothing”.

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According to the WTT website, her world ranking is 368, down from 89 in April.

Ni Xialian has represented Luxembourg at the Olympics since the 2000 Sydney Games. Photo: AFP
Ni Xialian has represented Luxembourg at the Olympics since the 2000 Sydney Games. Photo: AFP
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