Lina Lei and Qian Yang were both reigning Paralympic gold medallists in their respective singles classes heading into Paris 2024, but the best friends had not yet won a doubles title for Australia on the world’s biggest stage.
That changed late on Day 3 of the Paris Paralympics when the former China representatives defeated Tzu Yu Lin and Shiau Wen Tian of Chinese Taipei to secure Australia’s first doubles table tennis gold medal since 1964.
Lei and Yang, each ranked No.1 in the world in their singles classifications, were the underdogs in the final, but won the first two sets of the WD20 clash and finished 3-1 winners.
“I feel like we’re very familiar [with each other] … very close friend,” Lei said.
“It’s so exciting to get our first doubles gold medal.”
Coach Maggie Meng, who later would be named Coach of the Year at Australia’s Paralympian of the Year Awards, added: “On the table, they have been playing with each other for years and off the table, like they said, they’re the best friends.”
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By: David Sygall
Published: 27 December 2024
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