Over the years, Mrs De Low of Hurstville has competed at many world veterans' table tennis championships, winning 13 gold medals, 18 silver and 17 bronze.

Her longevity meant the sport's officials had to create a new age category just for her.

Now she has been officially acknowledged by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's oldest table tennis player.

Mrs De Low, who turns 99 in October, still competes in the veterans' world championships, most recently in Rio de Janeiro last year.

She hopes to play in the table tennis competition in the World Masters Games at Hurstville in October, and travel to China for the world championships next year.

A mother of two, Mrs De Low was married for 52 years.

Her husband, Albert, died 24 years ago.

She took up table tennis more than 40 years ago and still plays a couple of times a week.

Her participation as the oldest competitor in the World Veterans' Table Tennis Championships in Germany in May, 2006, created world-wide media interest, with offers to appear on the David Letterman Show and the Jay Leno Show.

Mrs De Low turned down the offers because she wanted to come home and get back to her gardening.

"I love playing table tennis,'' she said.

"I would like to get little kids into it, to get them away from television.''