At Sydney 2000, Ge and Liu were unexpectedly eliminated in the first round in the mixed doubles.

"When I went to Sydney, I cast my mind back to when I won in Atlanta, which affected me a lot," said Ge. "I had to adjust to hit my best form both physically and psychologically."

It worked, and she and Gu cruised to another title of women's doubles in Sydney.

Ge then wrapped up her sporting career with another mixed gold at the Ninth National Games in 2001, this time teaming up with husband Sun Jun.

After packing in the professional game, Ge entered Nanjing University to study administrative management. She is now the assistant of director of Nanjing Sports Bureau, where she spends her time helping other athletes follow in her footsteps.

"Since I have been an athlete myself, I can understand the needs of young athletes, which helps me and them a lot," she said.

China's best performance at the Olympic sport came in Sydney, where it netted four gold medals.