China gold medalist's family didn't tell her of grandmother's death until after Olympics

The family of a gold medal-winning table tennis star did not tell her that her grandmother had died until after the Olympics.

Sun Yingsha won gold in the women's team event and silver in the singles, losing out to compatriot Chen Meng in the final – all the while not knowing she had lost a beloved family member.

In the aftermath of her success in Tokyo, the 20-year-old's father told Chinese media the family had withheld the news so Sun could focus on preparing for the Games.

The South China Morning Post reports the ping pong prodigy was already away at a training camp preparing for the Olympics when her grandmother died in April.

China's Sun Yingsha was not told of the death of her grandmother until after she won gold at Tokyo 2020. (REUTERS)

Sun beat Japanese rival Mima Ito in both the singles and the doubles at the Games, to leapfrog her in the world rankings.

Her successful games means Sun is now world No.2, behind only Chen who beat her to singles gold in Tokyo.

Her new ranking sparked a flurry of activity on Chinese social media site Weibo, where the news quickly began to trend.

However, Sun was quick to dismiss the relevance of the ranking, adding that she and her Japanese rival were on a similar level.

Ito, a rising star in the table tennis world, told the Global Times of her friendship with Sun, but added she hopes to beat her in the near future.

She said: " I have set up the ambition to overcome Sun during my preparations. I have improved a lot at the Olympics but it seems Sun improved more than I did, that’s why I failed to win.

"I think Sun can facilitate my personal improvement.

Sun Yingsha of China and Japan's Mima Ito are rising stars of the table tennis world. (REUTERS)

" Generally speaking, it is the Chinese players that could push me to improve, as every match against them, no matter win or lose, is beneficial to me."

Chinese athletes have dominated table tennis in the Olympics in recent times.

Up until Tokyo 2020, China had won a clean sweep of golds across all disciplines at the Games in Beijing, London and Rio de Janeiro.

It was only after she had won her Olympic medals that Sun Yingsha (centre) was told of the death of her grandmother. (Getty Images)

That run was halted by the Japanese mixed doubles pair, who won gold to prevent a Chinese victory for the first time since Athens 2004.

Ito was part of that mixed doubles side, and now she has tasted victory she has a desire to do so against Sun.

She said: " I want to play against Sun one more time. I want to win. But it takes not only resolve but solid performances to win matches."