For Xia Lian Ni, age is truly just a number.

The 61-year-old table tennis player from Luxembourg is the oldest currently in her event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and she is defeating opponents who are half her age. On Monday, Xia Lian defeated Turkey's 31-year-old Sibel Altinkaya 4-2 in the first-round match of the women’s individual competition. The win was record-breaking – she became the oldest player in Olympic history to register a win at the Games.

Xia Lian is currently playing her 6th Olympics and is ranked 53rd worldwide in table tennis. Born in Shanghai, China, Xia Lian represented her country and won gold medals in various mixed and individual events. When she was 20, she won in the 1983 World Table Tennis Championships team and mixed doubles events.

Earlier retirement and tryst with Olympics

However, she retired early from the game and moved to Germany in 1989 and subsequently to Luxembourg in 1991, where she began playing table tennis again. She got married to Tommy Danielsson, a Swedish table tennis player, who coached and trained with her.

In 2000, Xia Lian participated in her first Olympics. She was 37 years old. From there, she started a journey of a lifetime. Since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, she has qualified for all the subsequent Games. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Xia Lian, 58 then, became the oldest Olympian to play table tennis.

"I am the oldest athlete, and I am an example for the kids who are striving to do their best. I don't remember my age, but it would be nice if I was [still] 16," Xia Lian said in an interview in Paris

On Wednesday, July 31, Xia Lian will compete in the round of 32 against No. 1 seeded 23-year-old Sun Yingsha of China. "I think this is a life chance for me to play with number one in the world. I just wish to have [a] beautiful match, but of course, I will cherish every point," said Xia Lian.