At 58, Cynthia Ranii was paralyzed from the chest down. 20 years later, her sights are set on a Paralympic medal

"At 78 years old, Ranii was used to competing against younger opponents, but this one was especially boyish; no older than 12 by her estimation. If she leaned on him a little harder, she thought she could leave with a clean sweep. But after dropping the first two sets, the boy began to listen to advice from his parents, who had coached him throughout the match."

"His spin became sharper, forcing the ball to jump off the sides of the table much closer to the net where it was out of Ranii's reach. His lobs were high and deep over her shoulders, making it hard for Ranii to turn fast enough to swat them back. She began to fall behind. Ranii is paralyzed from the chest down and was playing from a seated position, using a wheelchair."

"That's a hard kind of thing to take, Ranii admitted in an interview with the Sentinel a day later. She paused, the points still replaying in her head. But she wasn't bitter. Just the opposite; it's what she expects from a worthy opponent. It's just the reality. He beat me mainly because he took advantage of my being in a chair, which is exactly what he should have done, if he wanted to win, she said. He did exactly the right thing."

Cynthia Ranii, 78 and paralyzed from the chest down by a neuro-immunologic disorder two decades earlier, traveled from the Westside of Santa Cruz to play at a club in Santa Clara. She won the first two games of a five-set match against an opponent she estimated to be about 12 years old. The boy's parents coached him between sets, sharpening his spin and lobs to exploit her seated vulnerabilities. He won the next three games to take the match. Ranii accepted the loss without bitterness, calling it the reality of competing from a chair and praising the opponent's tactics. Resilience and long-term athleticism define her approach to competition.

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