Step aside, Mad Max and Crocodile Dundee. There is a new Australian hero in town. Born in China, Jian Fang Lay has become the flagbearer for Australian table tennis since relocating in the 1990s. The 48-year-old lay has represented her adoptive homeland at every Olympics since 2000, her sixth appearance equaling the record for Australian women. Lay entered the 2020 Tokyo Olympics ranked #156 in the world. In the group stage, she justified her ranking with a win over world #290 Daniela Fonseca of Cuba. After securing a spot in the elimination rounds, she began to build a case for her underratedness. In Round 1, lay upset Italy’s Debora Vivarelli, ranked #71 in the world. In the second round, she attracted additional Australian attention with an even bigger upset, sending #35 Qian Li of Poland packing. With a spot in the third round secured, Lay had already equaled her best ever Olympic showing. With her nation suddenly jumping on the table tennis bandwagon, Lay was unable to prolong the magic, succumbing to the world #22 Han Ying of Germany in straight sets. Lay, who for most of her career has seen table tennis take a back seat to cricket, rugby and other Australian favorites, is no longer flying under the radar Down Under. To the contrary, she is now smack dab in the middle of her 15 minutes of fame. "I’m now afraid to go out," lamented Lay, laughingly. "Everyone knows about me. I’m very grateful for Australia’s support – all the messages, 'go go go!' It means a lot." In the women's team event, Lay again fell to German hands as Australia was swept in the opening round of 16. With Paris 2024 already on the radar, Lay prefers to live in the moment. "Six Olympics is a big achievement for myself and my team as well," she deflected. "I think it’s a long time to go [to Paris]—three years is a long time. I have a one year plan—not thinking too much [about the longer-term]." After her three wins in singles, Lay jumped 11 spots to world #145. For her heroic efforts in Tokyo, Lay now enjoys not only a jump in the world rankings, but the long-overdue appreciation of her compatriots. "Now a lot of people can know how good is table tennis," she says. "Table tennis is a thinking game you know. You have to play smart and quick." While fictional Australian heroes have waged notable battles everywhere from the Outback to New York City, a new generation of Australian table tennis fans now get to watch their own real-life action hero do battle in Thunderdomes the world over. Paris, peut-être?

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