The 2022 Commonwealth Games are just around the corner and 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.

Five time Paralympian and Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Lina Lei is one more Team Vic superstar who will be making her Commonwealth Games debut in Birmingham and bringing a plethora of experience to the team.

Lina was born with a deficiency in her right lower leg and began playing table tennis when she was just five years old in Sichuan, China. When she was 14, she won the open singles and class 9 teams event at the 2002 world championships.

She claimed her first Paralympic gold medal two years later in Athens, eventually going on to win five gold and three silver medals across four Paralympics for China. Including her Athens gold, gold medals in Beijing and London as well as silver in Rio.

Between 2006 and 2014, she won every gold medal up for grabs at Paralympic level and at the World Para Championships, a truly extraordinary run of success.

Following her move to Melbourne Lina was selected to represent the green and gold at the Tokyo Paralympics.

At the Tokyo Games in 2021, Lei ended our 37-year gold medal drought when she won the women’s individual class 9 final against her former Chinese teammate Guiyan Xiong. She took out the win to become a six-time Paralympic gold medallist. It was also Australia’s first-ever gold medal in the women’s singles event.

She then teamed up with fellow Birmingham teammate Qian Yang as well as Melissa Tapper in the women’s team class 9-10 event, the Aussie trio claimed silver.

Following the brilliant display at the Paralympics she was recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to sport as a gold medallist in Tokyo.

Despite Birmingham being Lina’s first Commonwealth Games we’re positive her experience and unbelievable talent will go a long way to challenging for even more medals to add to her career achievements.

The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games start on Thursday July 28. For information about the table tennis events including the schedule CLICK HERE.