.The performance in the platforms at Roland Garrosu00e2 $ s Courthouse Philippe-Chatrier was actually populated along with vermillion streamers, incorporating a radiance to the presently orangey sky originating off the reddish clay-based court.These were actually Chinese flagsu00e2 $" dozens themu00e2 $" swing in boisterous help for Qinwen Zheng, 21, who would soon take gold through beating Croatiau00e2 $ s Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-3 in the womenu00e2 $ s singles tennis final.As she lay down on the dust, eyes skyward and also fists stretched into the Paris fog, the winu00e2 $ s gravity seemed to enroll: Zheng had merely built the kind of record that extended far past the coliseum and the minute. This was actually Chinau00e2 $ s first-ever Olympic gold medal in the sportu00e2 $" as well as Zheng had made no secret of the truth that the Olympics were as, otherwise more, essential to her than a Grand Slam.Zheng celebrates her Olympic triumph on August 3.Picture: Getty Imagesu00e2 $ In China, our team always believe a countryu00e2 $ s tribute resides in face of individual excellence, u00e2 $ she claimed over an early morning appointment at Nikeu00e2 $ s Athlete Residence, put quietly in between the Stade de France and also the Aquatics Facility in Parisu00e2 $ s St. Denis area, the day after her victory. u00e2 $ I addressed [the Games] differentlyu00e2 $" the emotion, the fight, the mindset: It really felt different than every other event Iu00e2 $ ve played.u00e2 $ Born in 2002 in Shiyan, China, Zheng started playing tennis at grow older seven. At grow older eight, she relocated, without her mom as well as papa, to Wuhan for much better training, and due to the fact that adolescence she has profoundly appreciated and also emulated Mandarin athletes, like the tennis celebrity Li Na and also the runner Liu Xiang, who succeeded gold at the 2004 Athens Games.u00e2 $ It was actually actually difficult, u00e2 $ Zheng said, recalling at those early days. u00e2 $ My mommy utilized to follow check out on weekend breaks. When she left, I would hold her lower leg as well as weep. When she was gone, I will regularly hold her coat. This was actually till I was thirteen. After 13, my mama made a decision to quit her work and come stick with me full-time, only to have much better growth as well as much better care. After that, it got less complicated. And our experts moved to Europe when I was actually 17. u00e2 $.