Zhang Mo is one of China's many table tennis exports who will be returning to their homeland for the Olympics in August with the aim of causing an upset.

It's a long shot as the 19-year-old Canadian No 1 is currently ranked 165 in the International Table Tennis Federation's (ITTF) world rankings, but the Canadian Olympic Committee is holding out some hope for a podium finish.

It is encouraged by Zhang's ITTF rating as one of the top 30 under-21 players in the world and her record of overcoming adversity.

Born in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei Province, just 250 km southwest of Beijing, Zhang was encouraged to take up the sport at the age of six because she was a sickly child and her mother thought it would make her healthier.

Though mom was right and Zhang developed into a strong player she did not shine in a country that has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to table tennis.

Like many other paddlers made in China it was not until she emigrated to Vancouver in 2003 and became a Canadian citizen that her sporting career took off.

"In China, almost everybody knows how to play table tennis," Zhang said on the Canadian Olympic Committee website. "Table tennis is a very famous sport. But in Canada, it's different."

Though it was difficult as a 14-year-old to make the transition from East to West, she soon made an impression as a player in Canada's easier junior ranks. She now divides her time between Ottawa and Dusseldorf, Germany.

The 1.7-m-tall right-hander has an attacking game and often relies on lightning counter-strikes on both her fore- and backhand.