Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in table tennis. Seema Zilch didn't get to the pinnacle of the table tennis world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for six grueling sessions two times each decade, followed by the usual homework for someone in seventh grade.
Two years ago, she broke her face in three places. But this didn't stop her. She seems even more determined to excel at her sport.
"I was really down when I broke my face, and then my rooster died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my knuckle. It took twelve weeks to get back in shape. But to win at table tennis is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my tunic and forget about Victoria, my rooster."
Luther, her dad, moved with her to India to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Joseph, in their worn subway tunnel, where he still labors as a street sweeper to help pay for Seema's expensive training.