 Ni in 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | Luxembourgish | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1963-07-04)4 July 1963 (age 62) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 58 kg (128 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Table tennis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing style | Left-handed, penhold | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 6 (25 May 1985)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | 46 (Feb 2024)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Ni Xia Lian (Chinese:倪夏連; born 4 July 1963) is a Chinese-bornLuxembourgishtable tennis player who has represented Luxembourg in international competitions since 1991. Born inShanghai, China, she currently lives with her husband,Tommy Danielsson, inEttelbruck, Luxembourg.
Ni began playing table tennis at age 7, and she joined the Chinese national team when she was a teenager.[3]
Ni won team and mixed doubles gold medals for China in the1983 World Table Tennis Championships.[4][5][6] She moved to Germany in 1989 and settled in Luxembourg two years later. Her husband, Tommy Danielsson, is her coach and training partner.[3] She competed at the2008 Summer Olympics, reaching the third round of thesingles competition. She qualified for competition at the2012 Summer Olympics in theWomen's singles competition. She lost 4–2 to 16-year-oldAriel Hsing from the US in the 2nd round in the London games.
She competed for Luxembourg at the2016 Summer Olympics inRio de Janeiro in the women's singles competition. She lost 4–2 toFeng Tianwei ofSingapore in the 3rd round.[7] She was the flag bearer for Luxembourg during the closing ceremony.[8]
When she qualified for the2020 Summer Olympics at the age of 58, Ni became the oldest Olympian table tennis player.[9]
During the Seamaster 2017ITTF World Tour Hybiome Austrian Open, Ni won the longest match in table tennis history which lasted 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 44 seconds.[3][10]
In 2021, Ni, 58 years old, won the women's doubles bronze medal for Luxembourg (LUX) in2021 World Table Tennis Championships alongsideSarah de Nutte.[11] At the age of 60, Ni was ranked the 46th worldwide.[2][when?]
She competed intable tennis forLuxembourg at the2024 Summer Olympics in Paris where she was also one of the country's flag bearers during theopening ceremony.[12] She beat Sibel Altinkaya 4-2 in the first round, but lost 4-0 to the current world No. 1Sun Yingsha.
Ni is noted to be one of "the most beloved athletes" in Luxembourg, where she was honored twice as that country's Sportswoman of the Year.[3]
