Tokyo Olympics: 12-year-old Syrian Paddler Hend Zaza one of the youngest Olympians ever

At a tender age of just 12 years, the table tennis prodigy Hend Zaza is living her dream and giving hope to all the other young aspirants. Zaza will be taking part in the Tokyo Olympics and will make history as one of the youngest athletes ever. The Syrian paddler will be the youngest athlete at the Tokyo Games with her date of birth as January 1, 2009, as listed with the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

The table tennis event starts on July 24 and Zaza will become the youngest Olympian since 11-year-old Beatrice Hustiu competed in figure skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics.

Zaza qualified for the Tokyo Games at the Western Asia Olympic Qualification Tournament in Jordan in February 2020. She won four of five matches to win the women's singles title with a 4-3 victory over Lebanon's Mariana Sahakian in the final.

She was spotted by ITTF official Eva Jeler at the World Hopes Week and Challenge, and Jeler just could not help but be taken aback by Zaza's play.

"I have very rarely seen a player at this age play with such joy and train with such intensity as Zaza. She never walked to pick up the ball – she ran. While of course, her technique needed and still needs improvement, her determination, resilience, and will to play and win are (almost) a guarantee for future success," Jeler told the ITTF website.

Zaza is not the youngest ever

However, Zaza is not the youngest ever Olympian as that honour goes to Dimitrios Loundras, a Greek gymnast, who took part in the Olympic Games at the age of 10 years old. He competed at the birth of the Modern Olympics in Athens 1896 and even won a medal claiming bronze in the team event.

What makes this more inspiring is that she grew up in the war-torn Syrian nation while having to train during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As reported by the ITTF, the hall where she trains in Hama had old tables with a concrete floor and frequent power cuts meant that she had to train in daylight when the temperatures could reach up to 40 degrees Celsius and higher.

While other athletes are significantly more well-funded, Zaza had to make so with what she had and that shows the focus and maturity of someone way beyond her years.

Regardless of her result here at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, she has a bright future and will look to gain some very valuable experience. 

(Image Credits: ITTF Official Website)