An 11-year-old Syrian table tennis player is set to become the youngest athlete at this year’s Olympics.
Hend Zaza qualified for the Tokyo Games after winning last week’s West Asia Olympic qualification tournament in Jordan.
Zaza, who was born in 2009 and ranked 155th in the ITTF world rankings entering the tournament, booked her place after seeing off 42-year-old Mariana Sahakian of Lebanon for the women’s singles title, 4-3.
Saudi Arabia’s Ali Alkhadrawi won the men’s singles title in Amman to earn his place in Tokyo.
Zaza will become the fifth-youngest known Olympian in history and the youngest since Romanian figure skater Beatrice Hustiu in 1968, according to the OlyMADMen.
No Syrian, male or female, has ever competed at an Olympics in table tennis, which does not have an age minimum.
Zaza is now slated to pip 11-year-old skateboarder Sky Brown for the mantle of youngest Olympian at this summer’s Games.
The Olympic women’s singles tournament is scheduled to begin with the preliminary rounds on 25 July with the final to take place on 30 July.