At the age of 12, Zeng became a table tennis professional with multiple tournaments under her belt.
Four years later, she joined Chinas national team.
It was the biggest dream of my life, she toldCNN.
This caused the athlete to have to change her technique drastically, making her shots more predictable.
As a result, Zeng left the national team.
The next chapter of her career began with an invitation to coach table tennis in northern Chile.
While there, the gifted athlete adopted the name Tania because Chileans struggled pronouncing her first name.
After winning two tournaments in 2004 and 2005, she stopped once again.
Zeng didnt touch a paddle again until the pandemic hit two decades later.
Zeng began playing in regional tournaments in her hometown of Iquique, Chile.
One fan even affectionatelyreferred to Zengas table tennis grandma.
While there, she adopted the name Tania Zeng.
