Peking University, April 14, 2021: Chinese table tennis star Ding Ning has been enrolled by the prestigious Peking University in a sports master's degree program.

Ding Ning returns the ball during the women's singles Top 4-seed battle against Sun Yingsha of China at World Table Tennis (WTT) Macao 2020 Tournament in Macao, Nov. 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)

According to a list recently published by the Department of Physical Education at Peking University on its official website, the 30-year-old multiple world and Olympic champion will be a full-time student.

Ding took up table tennis in 1996, before being recruited to the Chinese national junior team in 2003 and senior team in 2005.

She completed a grand slam of titles in 2016 after winning the Rio Olympics gold medal. She was appointed the captain of the Chinese women's team in February, 2017.

Ding has been preparing for a role change in her life, after she took part in the China Table Tennis Super League (CTTSL) as a player-coach representing Beijing last year.

Ding is the latest paddler to pursue a degree at Peking University. Former world champion Liu Wei spent 16 years in the university before being awarded a doctorate degree in July, 2015.

Peking University has witnessed a close connection with table tennis, a sport widely enjoyed in China, as the first national competition was staged there in 1952, and the venue inside the university also played host to the Olympic table tennis matches in 2008.

Source: Xinhua Net