Zhang Ning’s age defying performance
Written By: Kushal Dev Sharma
Zhang Ning, the thirty-three-year-old player from China proved many wrong, when she went on to defend her Badminton Women’s Singles title and earned gold by defeating her old teammate Xie Xingfang in the finals.

Xie entered the competition as the favorite player to win this contest, but World No.7 Zhang surprised everyone and gave the right message to her critics, who questioned her stamina before the commencement of the Beijing Olympics 2008.

Zhang did it just right in the final moments of the game – where Xie looked bit complacent and eventually lost the match. Throughout the last game, she managed to retain the lead and comfortably won a game 21-12.

Xie, the no.1 player in the world made a dashing comeback, as she took the second game with powerful smashing and drop shots 21-10. Henceforth, Zhang did not take any chances and came right over the head of Xie, as she started a relay of drops and precise shots – offering no room to world no.1 player. With her tremendous performance, Zhang emerged as the deserving winner of the Olympic gold.