From spin cycles to center court, how a forgotten laundromat shaped an Olympic career

An unlikely beginning

Long before Olympic arenas and television cameras, Lily Zhang’s introduction to table tennis came in a modest laundromat near her family’s home in California. According to reporting by CNN Sports, the venue housed a single table tennis table, which became her first place to experiment with the sport while her family waited for laundry to finish.

Zhang’s father, a mathematics professor at Stanford University, often brought her along. With both parents originally from China, table tennis was already familiar at home, though at the time it carried no serious ambition.

Speaking to CNN Sports, Zhang said the game initially felt like casual entertainment rather than a future pursuit. She had no sense that those early moments would shape her life.

Discovering the competitive spark

That perception changed once she visited a local table tennis club. According to CNN Sports, the structured environment, technical demands and intensity of training immediately appealed to her.

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Zhang later told CNN that she was drawn in almost instantly and committed herself fully. When asked whether natural talent played a role, she acknowledged with humor that she felt an early affinity for the sport.

Her development was unusually fast by American standards. By the age of 12, she had already reached the US senior national team.

Thrown onto the Olympic stage

Zhang’s rapid rise culminated in her selection for the 2012 London Olympics at just 16. According to CNN Sports, she became the youngest American table tennis player ever to compete at the Games.

The scale of the event proved overwhelming. In an interview with CNN, Zhang recalled moments of disbelief during the opening ceremony, surrounded by global sports icons. The experience, she said, felt surreal and difficult to process at such a young age.

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Success without certainty

Two years later, Zhang found a different kind of comfort at the 2014 Youth Olympics in China. According to CNN Sports, she won a bronze medal, becoming the first American table tennis player to reach the podium at an Olympic level event.

Despite that milestone, Zhang did not envision a long professional career. She told CNN that in the United States, many players step away from the sport during college years, and she initially viewed Olympic participation as a personal achievement rather than a lifelong path.

Although she returned for the 2016 Rio Olympics, she later admitted that she walked away from the sport multiple times.

Why walking away never lasted

Each attempt to quit proved temporary. According to CNN Sports, Zhang repeatedly found herself drawn back by a sense of unfinished business.

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In interviews, she has described table tennis as deeply tied to her identity, something that remained emotionally difficult to abandon even when motivation faded.

That connection extended beyond competition. Zhang once brought her partner, Jessie Xiao, to a table tennis bar on their first date, deliberately withholding the fact that she was an Olympian.

Building a life around the sport

After completing university, Zhang relocated to Germany to pursue professional table tennis full time. According to CNN Sports, she later represented the United States at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, reaching the round of 16 in Paris in 2024, her strongest Olympic result to date.

She also gained wider attention after a friendly table tennis exchange with NBA player Anthony Edwards went viral. The encounter was later featured on an Amazon Prime program, further exposing her to a broader audience.

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Partnership beyond competition

Zhang and Xiao have since become visible figures within the LGBTQ+ sports community. According to CNN Sports, Zhang has repeatedly credited Xiao as her primary source of emotional support.

At times, Xiao has even stepped into a coaching role when resources were limited, helping Zhang navigate difficult moments despite not having a technical background in the sport.

A changing landscape for US table tennis

The timing of Zhang’s career has coincided with structural change. According to Reuters, Major League Table Tennis launched in 2023, marking the first professional league for the sport in the United States.

In December, Zhang topped the league’s power rankings, becoming the first woman to do so and the only female player in the top ten. She told CNN Sports the recognition was unexpected but meaningful, particularly for young girls who lack visible role models in male dominated sports.

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Closing the circle where it began

As Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Summer Olympics, Zhang has avoided making firm predictions about her future. According to CNN Sports, she has shifted her focus toward enjoying competition rather than chasing rankings alone.

For Zhang, returning to the joy that first emerged beside a humming washing machine may be the most important goal of all.

Sources: CNN Sports, Reuters