SMH Article - ‘Mesmerising to watch’: All the way with Jian Fang Lay

Published Tue 03 Aug 2021

Article Written By Eryk Bagshaw for The Sydney Morning Herald
Updated July 31, 2021 — 5.17pm first published at 4.37pm

Tokyo: The Australian men’s table tennis team wanted to make a bet. It was the eve of the Sydney 2000 Olympics and they were feeling cocky.

They challenged the women’s team to a $100 wager. The women would start with a five-point advantage and the winner would take home the cash.

Jian Fang Lay, the now 48-year-old, six-time Olympian, Melbourne mother of two, did not need the five points. She fleeced the men, as she would many of her opponents in Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London, Rio and Tokyo.

“Like a fine wine, she gets better with age,” says her Sydney 2000 coach Bob Tuckett.

Link for Full Article: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/mesmerising-to-watch-all-the-way-with-jian-fang-lay-20210728-p58dpt.html

Australian tennis table athlete Jian Fang Lay plays in six Olympics - from top left: Tokyo, Rio 2016, London 2012, Beijing 2008, Athens 2004 and Sydney 2000.Credit:Getty, AP, AAP