Off the wire
• Oil prices rally on weaker U.S. dollar  • Ukrainian PM outlines key budget priorities for 2017  • Two Iraqi asylum seekers detained on suspicion of murder, robbery in central Finland  • Half of homes in Portuguese capital on sale sold in less than six months  • Hollande to meet Merkel in Paris to discuss Bratislava meeting  • Bezos unveils design of reusable heavy lift rocket  • French president determined to avoid Alstom's Belfort shutdwon  • Feature: Houston spaceport development is looking up  • Latvian association urges to develop competitive transit offer ahead of 16+1 summit  • S. African gov't urges eradication of illegal mining  
You are here: 　 Home

Mao's note to self helps inspire Rio table tennis glory

Xinhua, September 13, 2016 Adjust font size:

China's Mao Jingdian revealed that a note scrawled on her hand was crucial to the successful defense of her Paralympic table tennis singles CL 8 title at the Rio Games on Monday.

The 21-year-old needed just 18 minutes to defeat France's Thu Kamkasomphou 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-3) in the final at Riocentro.

"I wrote, 'Be determined and confident' on the palm of my hand before my first game and I looked at it again last night, but it wasn't there anymore so I wrote it again to remind myself and looked at it before the game," Mao told the Paralympic News Service.

"I knew I had to have confidence in myself and I got so engaged in the match I really started to enjoy it."

Mao, whose impairment stems from a hip injury in 2005, said she was looking forward to celebrating with her family.

"I want to call my dad but I know because of the time difference that he will be sleeping. But I have sent him a text. I am looking forward to going home and eating homemade food made by my dad and I will then go back to school," she added. Endit