Zhang Li

Zhang Li

Zhang Li, born in Xinxiang, Henan Province in 1951, is a Chinese table tennis player.

She joined Henan table tennis team in 1964 and was selected into the national table tennis training team in 1965. As the Gold Grand Slam winner of national table tennis, she still keeps the record of seven gold medals in the Asian Games.

On February 13, 2019, Zhang Li, a former world champion, died of lung cancer in the United States at the age of 68.

Sports career

In her career, Zhang Li once reached the finals of the World Table Tennis Championships three times, but because she was arranged to let the ball finally did not get the women's singles champion she most wanted, there is no doubt that Zhang Li made a great sacrifice for the national table tennis team and missed the world champion. At the 7th Asian Games in Teheran in 1974, Zhang Li, 23 years old, won the women's singles championship by beating Eliza Li, Zheng Xianshu, Daguan Xingjiang and other experts. He also won the women's doubles and women's league championships with Zheng huaiying, thus becoming the new core figure of the Chinese team. Four years later, in the 8th Asian Games, she won the women's League, women's singles and women's Doubles Championship. She also won the mixed doubles championship with Guo Yuehua, becoming the "Gold Grand Slam" winner in the Asian Games. Her historical record of winning seven gold medals in the Asian Games remains up to now. In 1975, at the 33rd World Table Tennis Championships in Calcutta, Zhang Li beat Eliza Lee in the final of the women's team, helped the team win the championship trophy, and then entered the final and won the second place in the singles. After the 34th (1977) and 35th (1979) World Table Tennis Championships, Zhang Li repeatedly made great contributions to help the team win the women's league championship twice. In the 35th World Table Tennis Championships, Zhang Deying played in women's doubles and won the fourth World Championship in his career. After the 35th World Table Tennis Championships, Zhang Li officially retired and became a lifelong partner with his former teammate Li Zhenshi.

The death of a character

On February 13, 2019, Zhang Li, a former world champion, died of lung cancer in the United States at the age of 68.

Hold a post

He was elected deputy to the Fifth National People's Congress in 1978. He has been assistant coach and coach of national table tennis team since 1981.

Character honor

Since 1978, he has been awarded two sports honorary medals by the State Sports Commission.