Deng Yaping: the small giant of table tennis

Deng Yaping is proof that height does not decide who wins at table tennis. At about 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in), she ruled the women's game in the 1990s, won four Olympic golds and spent eight straight years as world No. 1. Then she swapped the table for the classroom and earned a doctorate at one of the most famous universities in the world.

This page covers Deng Yaping's career, her titles, her playing style and what she did after retiring at 24.

Who is Deng Yaping

Deng Yaping was born on February 5, 1973, in Zhengzhou, in China's Henan province. She started playing as a small child and stood out early in provincial competitions. Some coaches saw her height as a problem, but she made up for it with speed, determination and a lot of practice.

In 1989, at 16, she won her first world title, in doubles, at the World Championships in Dortmund. From there she never really stopped.

Deng Yaping's titles

Counting Olympics, World Championships and World Cups, that is 18 world titles. She was world No. 1 from 1990 to 1997, eight years in a row. In Olympic doubles and many of her world doubles titles, her partner was Qiao Hong.

Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996

Table tennis joined the Olympics in 1988, and Deng Yaping was the first great champion of the Olympic era. At Barcelona 1992 she won singles and doubles. At Atlanta 1996 she did it again. She is one of only a few women with two Olympic singles golds, alongside fellow Chinese players Zhang Yining and Chen Meng. The full Olympic history is in table tennis at the Olympics.

Playing style

Deng Yaping was a fast, very aggressive attacker who played close to the table. Lacking reach, she made up for it with:

• Very quick footwork, getting to balls that looked out of reach.
• High tempo, taking the ball early so her opponent had no time.
• Determination and intensity on every point, the trademark of her career.

Her style shows that in ping pong, reaction speed and movement can matter more than size. The main player types are in table tennis playing styles.

Retiring at 24 and going back to school

Deng Yaping retired at the end of 1997, at only 24, after winning three golds at the World Championships in Manchester. Instead of staying in the sport as a coach, she went to study:

• A bachelor's degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
• A master's in contemporary Chinese studies at the University of Nottingham, in the UK, in 2002.
• A PhD in land economy at the University of Cambridge in 2008, with a thesis on Olympic branding and the Beijing 2008 Games.

She also served on International Olympic Committee commissions, including the athletes' commission, and was part of the Beijing 2008 organizing committee. In 2003 she was inducted into the ITTF Hall of Fame.

Why Deng Yaping is a legend

Deng Yaping is remembered as one of the greatest players of all time, and not only for the numbers. Her path, from a kid doubted for her height to Olympic champion and Cambridge PhD, became an example of dedication in China and beyond. To see where she sits among the legends, read the greatest table tennis players of all time.

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