Lina Lei reaches world number 1 in Women's Class 9

Tokyo 2020 Paralympic gold medallist Lina Lei has become the world number 1 in Women's Class 9.

Her performance at the Spanish Para Open last month, which saw her win gold in the Class 9 Women's Singles as well as in the Class WS20 Women's Doubles alongside Qian Yang, was the cherry on top of the cake that helped her back to the number 1 spot.

General Manager - National Para Program Sue Stevenson said the achievement is a result of Lei's hard work over the past handful of years.

"Lina first represented Australia at the 2019 Slovenia Para Open and has not lost a Class 9 Women's Singles match at an international Para event, including the 2020 Paralympic Games, during that time," she said. "Moving back into the world number 1 ranking is a testament to Lina’s incredible results and hard work over the last three years."

It is the first time Lei has reached the world number 1 spot since September 2017.

The achievement followed the success of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games last year which saw the 34-year-old end Australia’s 37-year gold medal drought when she won the Class 9 Women's Singles final. It was also Australia’s first-ever gold medal in a Women’s Singles event at the Paralympic Games.

Following her individual competition, she teamed up with Qian Yang and Melissa Tapper in the Class 9-10 Women's Team event to claim silver.

Check the latest world rankings here.

Photo credit: Antonio Alvarez