.The performance in the stands at Roland Garrosu00e2 $ s Courthouse Philippe-Chatrier was dotted with vermillion ensigns, incorporating a glow to the currently orangey air emanating off the reddish clay court.These were Chinese flagsu00e2 $" hundreds of themu00e2 $" waving in loud help for Qinwen Zheng, 21, that would very soon take gold by beating Croatiau00e2 $ s Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-3 in the womenu00e2 $ s single people tennis final.As she put down on the dirt, eyes skyward and also fists expanded right into the Paris fog, the winu00e2 $ s gravitation appeared to register: Zheng had actually just created the kind of past history that stretched far past the arena and the minute. This was actually Chinau00e2 $ s first-ever Olympic gold medal in the sportu00e2 $" and Zheng had actually created no secret of the reality that the Olympics were as, or even more, important to her than a Grand Slam.Zheng celebrates her Olympic victory on August 3.Picture: Getty Imagesu00e2 $ In China, our company always think a countryu00e2 $ s honor remains in front of personal results, u00e2 $ she mentioned over a morning meeting at Nikeu00e2 $ s Professional athlete Residence, put quietly between the Stade de France as well as the Aquatics Centre in Parisu00e2 $ s St. Denis region, the day after her victory. u00e2 $ I managed [the Games] differentlyu00e2 $" the emotion, the fight, the mindset: It experienced different than every other event Iu00e2 $ ve played.u00e2 $ Birthed in 2002 in Shiyan, China, Zheng started participating in ping pong at grow older seven. At age eight, she relocated, without her mommy and also papa, to Wuhan for much better training, and given that adolescence she has actually deeply admired as well as mimicked Chinese sportsmens, like the tennis celebrity Li Na and also the distance runner Liu Xiang, who won gold at the 2004 Athens Games.u00e2 $ It was actually really hard, u00e2 $ Zheng stated, recalling at those very early times. u00e2 $ My mother used to come visit on weekends. When she left, I will keep her lower leg as well as weep. When she was gone, I will regularly store her coat. This was till I was actually 13. After thirteen, my mommy made a decision to stop her job and come visit me full-time, merely to possess much better development as well as better treatment. Afterwards, it got easier. And also our company relocated to Europe when I was 17. u00e2 $.