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Zhiying Zeng Age, Husband, Children, Family, Biography

Quick Info→
Marital Status: Married
Husband: Arturo Aravena
Age: 58 Years

Zhiying Zeng

Bio/Wiki
Full NameZhiying "Tania" Zeng
Nickname(s)• Tia Tania
• Table tennis grandma
Profession(s)• Table Tennis player
• Businesswoman
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)5' 5" (165 cm)
Eye ColourBlack
Hair ColourBlack
Table Tennis
MedalsSilver
• 2023: South American Senior Championship, Lima (Individual)
Zhiying Zeng holding South American Senior Championship silver medal
Bronze
• 2023: Pan American Games, Santiago (Women's Team)
Zhiying Zeng wearing Pan American Games bronze medal
HonoursSpecial Distinction for her performance in the Pan American Games (2023)
Zhiying Zeng (centre) holding the Special Distinction award
Personal Life
Date of Birth17 July 1966 (Sunday)
Age (as of 2024)58 Years
BirthplaceGuangzhou, China
Zodiac signCancer
NationalityChinese (former), Chilean (current)
Food HabitNon-vegetarian
Social MediaInstagram
Relationships & More
Marital StatusMarried
Family
Husband/SpouseArturo Aravena
ChildrenSon(s)- 2
• Felipe Aravena
• Wang Zhixin
Zhiying Zeng with her husband Arturo Aravena and sons Felipe Aravena (left) and Wang Zhixin
ParentsFather- Engineer
Mother- Table Tennis Coach
SiblingsBrother- 1
Favourites
TV ShowChilean - Juego de ilusiones (2023)
FoodEmpanada, Pantruca, Beans, Sopaipilla

Zhiying Zeng

 

 

Some Lesser Known Facts About Zhiying Zeng

  • She owns a furniture trading business in Chile.
  • She grew up near a sports complex in China, where she had access to professional players.
  • It was her dream to become an Olympian since childhood.
  • Her mother was a table tennis coach and coached her till she was 9 years old.
  • She joined an elite sports academy when she was 11 years old.
  • She won a national junior championship before becoming a professional at 12.
  • She entered the Chinese table tennis team at age 16.
  • In 1986, the introduction of a new rule requiring table tennis rackets to have two different colours impacted her gameplay. She used to switch to different sides of the racket for different shots and confuse her opponents, but with the new rules, she became predictable.
  • She was soon dropped out of the Chinese team because of her poor performance, which resulted in her quitting table tennis at the age of 20.
  • She moved to Chile, after receiving an invitation in 1989.
  • In Chile, she worked as a coach for school children of Arica.
  • She got the opportunity to play for Chile in 1996, but she turned it down as she didn’t want to play for another country.
  • In 2003, she started to play table tennis again to encourage her son to take up the sport instead of playing video games.
  • She won national-level tournaments in 2004 and 2005. Her victories encouraged her son to take up the sport.
  • Soon, she quit the sport again after her son became old enough to go to training on his own with his coach.
  • She picked the sport again in 2022 as a mode of exercise as, according to her, all she did during the COVID-19 lockdown was rest and eat.
  • After she started to play again, she contacted the table tennis federation at Iquique and started playing table tennis at the regional level.
  • Her confidence arose after she began defeating males in table tennis tournaments
  • Initially, after getting selected for the 2023 South American Table Tennis Championships, she doubted if she would be able to perform well. She entered the championship after her friend motivated her to participate.
  • In an interview, she stated that when she started playing again after the lockdown, she found inspiration in fellow table tennis player, Ni Xialian, who was 60 years old at the time.
  • In 2023, she became an overnight sensation in Chile after she defeated Eva Pena Brito of the Dominican Republic by 4-2 at the Pan American Games women’s singles tournament. The President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, congratulated her on his social media account.
  • In May 2024, she participated in the ITTF Americas Qualification Tournament in Lima, Peru, which helped her qualify for the Olympics.
  • After qualifying for the Olympics, she talked about her happiness in an interview as her father, who was 92 years old, and her brother watched her qualify and said,

    My dad was able to see his daughter qualify for the Olympics. He used to take me to training and to matches when I was a girl and now at 57, I made it. I made it.”

    Zhiying Zeng with the Qualification ticket for the Summer Olympics 2024

    Zhiying Zeng with the Qualification ticket for the Summer Olympics 2024

  • She made her Olympic debut in the 2024 Summer Olympics and instantly became viral on social media due to her age. She lost in the preliminary round by 4-1 against the 46-year-old Lebanese player, Mariana Sahakian.

    Zhiying Zeng playing at the Olympics

    Zhiying Zeng playing at the Olympics

  • To perform at an elite level, she works out regularly.

    Zhiying Zeng during a workout session

    Zhiying Zeng during a workout session

  • She enjoys watching Turkish TV shows.
  • She prefers to compete in singles competition.
  • She drinks alcohol occasionally.

    Zhiying Zeng drinking alcohol

    Zhiying Zeng drinking alcohol