BEIJING - Getting married and having a child is often a hindrance to female athletes.

However, Chinese epee fencer Li Na says she has benefitted from the changes in her personal life.

Li, who gave birth to a boy after finishing fourth at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, claimed China's first gold medal in women's epee at the World Fencing Championships in Italy on Friday.

The 30-year-old mother attributed her win to a more mature mindset that she has gotten from her new lifestyle.

"Getting married and having my baby has made me more mature," said the former world No 1, who won the gold medal in the epee team event at the 2006 World Fencing Championships. "My skill had already reached the top class in the world, but I didn't know how to control my personality and sometimes refused to listen to the coach's advice, which affected my training.

"But I have found I have changed a lot since returning to the national team," Li said. "I feel there are more responsibilities on my shoulders and I should make my comeback more meaningful."

Zhao Gang, coach of the Chinese team, said Li's increased maturity was the key to her success.

"Li came back with obvious changes. Our communication became much smoother and she always asked for more practice," Zhao said. "Sometimes she requires too much of herself, and we have all asked her to reduce her training load."

Li said she regretted not being able to spend a lot of time with her son, but will give him her gold medal from the World Championships.

"The gold medal is the best present for my boy," Li said. "I will tell him my story en route to winning the title, and let him know why mother left him and what his mother was fighting for."

She continued: "Everything has returned to zero after I stepped down from the podium (at the World Championships), and my ultimate target now is to win the Olympic title."

China's Sun Yujie, who lost to Li in the final, could be her greatest obstacle in London.

The 1.92-meter-tall fencer, won bronze medals at this year's Spain and German World Cup meets and is only 19.