BOUNCING AROUND THE GLOBE TO PING-PONG PINNACLE

Keeping his eye on the ball, Zhang Kai is training hard in an attempt to secure his future Olympic glory.

On an ordinary night in 2004, 6-year-old Zhang Kai crawled into bed at his home in suburban Beijing, after his parents had long gone to sleep in their own room.

There the child lay wide awake, listening over and over again to the imaginary sound of a tiny white table tennis ball hitting his bat, just as it did during the afternoon training session.