The 2022 Commonwealth Games are just around the corner as the Aussie team prepares for tonight’s Opening Ceremony at 4:45am Friday July 29. With several Victorian stars in Australia’s 14 player line-up heading to Birmingham, there’s going to be plenty to cheer about when the Aussie team hit the tables.

While there are plenty of Commonwealth debutants in Birmingham ready to represent the green and gold there is one legend of Australian table tennis who is more than used to the bright lights of the Games.

Team Vic legend Jian Fang Lay will be appearing at her sixth Commonwealth Games for Australia when she hits the tables this week bringing more than enough experience to help guide our young team of stars.

Jian first represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester 2002 where she took home two silver medals and a bronze. She followed this up with another silver and bronze in Melbourne four years later and won another one of each in Glasgow 2014.

She has represented Australia at every Games since table tennis was first held at Manchester, and by garnering seven medals is one of the best to ever do it in the green and gold.

Jian was born in Wenzhou, China and started playing as a six-year-old. Her father was a keen player, and she was a provincial champion by the age of 11. She is now a mother of two and came to Australia in 1994 with her husband, training partner and coach Jorge Lay.

Jian became somewhat of a cult hero last year during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games when the whole of Australia was cheering her on as she equalled her best Olympic result and made history by joining Mary Hanna as the only Australian women to compete in six Olympic Games. After representing Australia at the Athens, Sydney, Beijing, London, Rio and Tokyo Olympics.

The 49-year-old won against Poland’s Qian Li in the women’s table tennis singles draw to proceed to the third round of competition, equalling her best ever Olympics result.

“The coach kept saying ‘more patience, more patience’,” Lay told Table Tennis Australia, after the win. “It just feels amazing. She is a European champion, so I am so happy to have won.” Jian said after the match.

She has won 13 international competition medals, including 7 Commonwealth Games medals, 24 Oceania titles and 30 national titles.

The entirety of the table tennis community in Australia and a large amount of the Australian public will be cheering her every point as she attempts to finally take home that elusive Commonwealth Games gold medal.

The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games start on start with the Opening Ceremony tonight at 4:45am AEST. For information about the table tennis events including the schedule CLICK HERE.