The most dominant female table tennis player in history — four Olympic gold medals.
Deng Yaping was born in Zhengzhou, Henan, China in 1973. She won four Olympic gold medals (singles and doubles in 1992 and 1996) and three World Championships. At 5ft 1in, significantly smaller than most top players, she compensated with extraordinary reflexes and the fastest forehand in women's table tennis. She was initially rejected by the Chinese national team for being too short before her performances could not be ignored. After retirement she earned a PhD at Cambridge University. She became a technology entrepreneur and vice president of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Organising Committee.
Dominant table tennis player who won 4 Olympic golds despite her short stature
How They Played
Aggressive close-to-table attacking style with exceptional speed and footwork
Lasting Impact
Considered one of the greatest table tennis players of all time, revolutionized women's table tennis
Olympic Gold 4x (1992 singles+doubles, 1996 singles+doubles)
Career Honours
- Olympic Gold 4x (1992 singles+doubles, 1996 singles+doubles)
- World Champion 3x