China's Zhang Ning thought she was pushing the age limit for an Olympic badminton player when she went to Athens at 29 and walked away with gold. On Saturday, the 33-year-old proved that age comes before Beauty.The 2004 singles champion defended her title in Beijing against world number one Xie Xingfang, 27. Xie, nicknamed Beauty, is one half of China’s most famous sporting couple with top ranked men’s player Lin Dan. Indonesia’s Maria Kristin Yulianti took the bronze.“I was already 29 (in Athens) and in the badminton world it’s considered pretty extraordinary, so I didn’t think I would actually get the gold,” Zhang said.For two years after those Games, Zhang wavered about whether to retire or give the Olympics one last shot. She decided the chance to compete in Beijing was too good to miss, and cranked up her training despite a right knee injury that was still swollen just a few months before the Games. She has played with her knee tightly bandaged.“Through the injuries I kept encouraging myself to keep going, and to be able to come to these Olympics I worked really, really hard,” she told reporters, holding back tears.Zhang pushed the world number one around the court to take the first game 21-12.Xie found her rhythm in the second game, mixing it up with bewildering flurries of spiralling lobs and punishing drop shots to take it 21-10. The writing looked to be on the wall for Zhang, who by now was flicking sweat and breathing heavily.She took an early lead in the deciding game but seemed to tire and Xie tied it up at 15-15. However, Zhang somehow conjured up a burst of energy to turn the tables.Zhang clinched the match 21-18, jumping for joy before sinking to her knees, burying her head in her hands and wiping away the tears.So will the Grand Dame of badminton try for a third gold in London? “Definitely impossible,” Zhang said. “I’ll be too old.”
