×
App Icon
The Standard e-Paper
Stay Informed, Even Offline
★★★★ - on Play Store
Read on the App

Table Tennis: Syrian 12-year-old, Tokyo Games' youngest competitor, exits in first round

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Table Tennis - Women's Singles - Preliminary Round - Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium - Tokyo, Japan - July 24, 2021. Hend Zaza of Syria in action against Jia Liu of Austria. [REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez]

Syria's Hend Zaza, at 12 the youngest athlete competing at the Tokyo Olympics, exited the table tennis tournament in the opening round on Saturday, snapping a selfie with her Austrian opponent to remember the occasion.

Zaza was battling an opponent more than three times her age in 39-year-old Liu Jia in the women's singles preliminary round but showed no sign of nerves, maintaining her composure despite a 4-0 defeat.

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week
Fact‑first reporting that puts you at the heart of the newsroom. Subscribe for full access.
  • Unlimited access to all premium content
  • Uninterrupted ad-free browsing experience
  • Mobile-optimized reading experience
  • Weekly Newsletters
  • MPesa, Airtel Money and Cards accepted
Already a subscriber? Log in