The USA is one country that dominates the medal tally at almost every Olympic event. But there is something that they have been missing out is table tennis. Only ten of the table tennis players in the USA are ranked and out of those ten, seven are women. And even in those seven, there are only three who are in the top 100. It is Lily Zhang who gloriously holds the responsibility of representing the USA on the world stage in table tennis.

The world was spellbound by then-12-year-old Lily when she first participated in the world championship. She became the youngest American to participate in the world championship of table tennis. She did not follow the usual path to the game. Her rise to the glorious heights of the game is much more interesting than the usual way.

From Laundry room to Olympic room

It all started in the laundry room for Lily Zhang. She did not join an academy like most. Her journey into the world of table tennis started in the laundry room of a university. In a post shared by USA Table Tennis, Lily Zhang was seen holding her bronze and posing with her opponents. The post read, “Another medal for Team USA! Congratulations, Lily Zhang, on bringing home Bronze in the Women’s Singles Event at the Pan American Games in #Santiago2023!”

When she was nine, her parents saw the spark in her and enrolled in an academy. And she found the exposure and the passion she was looking for and thought of doing it professionally. At every tournament she would go to, she would be the youngest. By the time she was sixteen, she played in the London Olympics and lost in her opening match. The whole ordeal was too much, and she started wondering if table tennis was her thing anymore.

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When the covid struck, she was one of the many people to fall prey to depression. But through the support of her family and continuous sessions, she could recover and even be better at her game. She bested her ranking and reached 23. She had said in an interview, “The biggest step I made was seeking help. It was through countless therapy sessions and reaching out to people that I managed to get out of it because it can really drag you into a pit.” Lily Zhang will be gearing up for the Paris Olympics 2024 after her performance at the Pan American Games.

Will she be able to turn the table?

Lily Zhang has ended her Pan American Games campaign with a bronze. By sailing through her opponents and securing a spot in the semi-final Lily guaranteed herself a bronze. Lily defeated Arantxa Cossio (Mexico) and her eyes were set on gold. She fell a bit short against Bruna Takahashi in an important semi-final. Bruna has always dominated the game against Lily and she did yet again.

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This was Lily Zhang’s 4th appearance, and she is looking forward to changing the course of the narrative and changing the position and ranking of Table Tennis in the USA for the better. Paris will be her third Olympics and she is hoping to turn the ‘table for the USA for the better.

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