ATHENS, Sept. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Thu Kamkasomphou, the 35-year-old Paralympic athlete from France is determined to prove her five months training worthy by adding another gold medal to her collection in the women's singles, class 9 competition at the Athens.

    "I came here to win gold and only this," said the gold-medalist from the Sydney Paralympic Games four years ago, adding that her two-hour daily training program consists of swimming, running, walking, and biking.

    "Passion is my motivation and being on the court that is what leads me," she said, with a laugh. "I believe that I'm at war."

    Predicting the possible medal winners, she thinks that there are at least four or five teams in the women's class 6-10 contending for the gold medal, among them China, France, Czech Republic, Netherlands and Russia.

    At the age of 12, she started playing both football and table tennis, but after being diagnosed at the age of 18 with Periarthritis caused by a high temperature, she devoted herself only to table tennis, because football was too difficult to keep on.

    Kamkasomphou was ranked 124th in the French national championships, where she played against able-bodied athletes.

    She says she would quit playing when she feels physically tired and, if her country wins the bid to host the 2012 Paralympic Games,she would try to be part of the event, instead of competing.

    Among Kamkasomphou's accomplishments are:

    - Gold medal in the women's singles class 9 and bronze medal in the women's team class 6-10 in the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games

    - Gold medal in the women's team class 6-10 at the 2002 Netherlands World Team Cup

    - Silver medal in the women's open standing at the French 2003 World Singles Cup

    - Bronze medal in the women's singles class 9 at the 2002 world championships in Chinese Taipei. Enditem