Taiwan weightlifter Li Feng-ying (
But her Chinese adversaries, who are eight to 10 years her junior, would be wrong to write off her chances at the Asian Games which begin in Pusan, South Korea tomorrow.
Li, 27, the mother of a five-year-old girl, is one of Taiwan's best bets to bring home a gold.
"I'm a veteran athlete. It'll be a loss of face if I lose," said Li, who captured the gold in the women's 53kg category at the world championships in Greece in 1999.
The Chinese-born weightlifter settled for the silver in the 2000 Sydney Olympics before bagging the gold at the world championships in Turkey last year.
But Li is tired after a decade of weightlifting and is thinking about quitting after the world championships later this year.
"My body has been different since giving birth. It's been really difficult and tiring," Li said.
"I may not take part in Olympic qualifiers next year due to an old injury," said Li, who hurt her left knee in 1999.
She hopes to attend university and become a coach or physical education teacher.
For now, the biggest incentive for Li and other Taiwan athletes is a NT$2 million reward the government has promised any Asian Games gold medalist.
A silver would fetch NT$1 million and a bronze medalist would take home NT$600,000.
Taiwan finished sixth in the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, capturing 19 golds, 17 silvers and 41 bronzes. But the nation's prospects this time appear bleak.
"It's next to impossible for us to win more than 19 golds this time," said Chan Te-chi (
"We won six golds in bowling the last time, but we'll be lucky if we win two this time because of changes made to the lanes," he said.
Taiwan are strong in billiards but the Philippines are fielding two professionals, he said. Taiwan are also counting on medals in golf, shooting, soft tennis, taekwondo and tennis.
Asked who she considered her top rival, Li said: "The mainland is relatively competitive. They're much younger than me -- by eight to 10 years."
Li was born in China, but competing under the flag of her homeland's archrival is just another job.
"Relations between the two sides are not good. Mainland athletes may feel a bit strange, but I won't," said Li, the daughter of a policeman born in Hunan.
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