Ni Xialian and Danielsen smiled at each other. Photo by Anyuan
China News Service Chengdu, October 8 (Reporter He Shaoqing Anyuan) "There are so many plans ahead. Many times I forget my age, which is also very good and fulfilling." Chinese veteran Ni Xialian said in an exclusive interview with China News Service reporters on the 8th that after watching the Chengdu World Table Tennis Championships, she plans to go to Macau to participate in the WTT Macau Championship.
It is understood that Ni Xialian, who is good at left-hand straight shot and long rubber offensive play, was once the main force of the national table tennis women's team. After more than 30 years of retirement from the national table tennis team, most of her teammates who were at the same time as Ni Xialian retired behind the scenes, but she is still active in the arena. Just last year's Houston World Table Tennis Championships, Ni Xialian even won a medal for Luxembourg and was named "Top Ten Most Influential Figures in Luxembourg in 2021". In the Chengdu World Table Tennis Championships team competition, she led the Luxembourg women's team to the top 16, creating history before the age of 60.
Ni Xialian accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service reporters. Photo by Anyuan
The love for table tennis has made Ni Xialian stand on the court until now. Her fighting spirit not only won the respect of her opponents, but also inspired fans at home and abroad. Some netizens lamented online: "Can she fight until she is 70?"
Over the past decade, China's national fitness industry has developed rapidly, the public service system of national fitness has been continuously improved, the number of people participating in physical exercise is increasing, and sports events are also rich and diverse. The national survey on national fitness activities held every five years in China and the national physical fitness monitoring show that in 2020, the proportion of people who regularly participate in physical exercise reached 37.2%, an increase of 3.3 percentage points from 2014.
Ni Xialian browses news on China News Service. Photo by Anyuan
Ni Xialian said that she was very happy to see more and more Chinese fans and people participating in physical exercise, including some elderly people. "It's very good for everyone to participate in sports, but be careful, age is unforgivable!" Ni Xialian reminded everyone to warm up before exercise, and to relax after exercise. It is best to have someone to guide you to avoid injury.
WTT Macau Championship 2022 will be held at the Tashi Stadium, Macau, China from October 19 to 23. This is another table tennis feast in China after the Chengdu World Table Tennis Championships team competition. When talking about the next event, Ni Xialian is full of expectations. She introduced that this is a competition where only the top 30 in the world can get tickets, and the prize money and ranking points are very high. "So ordinary players are not willing to give up this competition, and I am of course one of them."
Whether it is from Luxembourg to Chengdu, Sichuan, or to Macau, China after the team competition of the Chengdu World Table Tennis Championships, Ni Xialian's participation journey was accompanied by her husband and coach Danielsen.
Speaking of this, Ni Xialian and Danielsen smiled at each other and called themselves "lucky". She said that Danielson has been with her, and the children have grown up, and now there is a free time and she enjoys this wonderful time. (End)
