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

SANTA CRUZ — The first two games of the five-set match — typical parameters in competitive table tennis — went well for Cynthia Ranii. She was older, stronger, more experienced and it showed.

As she often does when she’s eager for a challenge, Ranii traveled over the hill from her home on the Westside of Santa Cruz for a match at a club in Santa Clara. 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 muc