Veteran shuttler aims for one more miracle

"The Miracle" Zhang Ning has overcome a lot in her long career. She has shaken off doubts and injuries that have nearly derailed her, hit the bottom and climbed back to the top.

All the struggle and the joy will come to a fitting end today when the 33-year-old plays in what will likely be her last match, a gold-medal contest against teammate and world No 1 Xie Xingfang to defend the title she won in Athens. If she wins she will become the oldest woman ever to win an Olympic badminton women's singles gold.

"I am already a miracle," said a tearful Zhang after a nail-biting win over Indonesia's Maria Kristin Yulianti yesterday. "I just see it as my opportunity to make new history and make new miracles."