A first appearance at a World Para Table Tennis Championships, commencing in Granada on Sunday 6th November, India’s Bhavina Patel and Alexandra Saint-Pierre from France are very much names to note.
Just over one year ago Bhavina Patel proved quite a sensation at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Against the odds she emerged the silver medallist in women’s singles class 4; that good form has continued this year.
In April she struck gold in Ismailia, the following month in Amman, before in early August succeeding at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Quite a revelation, in the past 12 months, Alexandra Saint-Pierre, a class 5 athlete, has been a sensation. No previous international success, in October 2021, she won on the Costa Brava, before this year, winning at every attempt!
In March she succeeded in Platja d’Aro, in May in Lasko, one month later in Ostrava, before on the Greek island of Kefalonia in October, making it four in a row.
Present form suggests both Bhavina Patel and Alexandra Saint-Pierre are candidates for honours; experience suggests the same for Korea Republic’s Seo Su Yeon and Serbia’s Borislava Peric-Rankovic.
Both defend titles won four years at the World Para Championships in Lasko; Seo Su Yeon emerged the class 2 winner, Borislava Peric-Rankovic prevailed in class 4.
Furthermore, both have enjoyed Paralympic Games success. Seo Su Yeon was a silver medallist in both Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and more recently last year in Tokyo. One step higher, Borislava Peric Rankovic struck gold in Rio de Janeiro, having been a sliver medal winner in both Beijing in 2008, the same four years later in London.
Experienced players, adding to the list is Isabelle Lafaye of France and Slovakia’s Alena Kanova. Each has gained titles at World Para Championships and Paralympic Games.
At the World Para Championships, Isabelle Lafaye, a class 2 athlete, won in 2006 in Montreux, two years earlier at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games. Similarly, on duty in Granada in class 3, Alena Kanova succeeded at the 2002 World Para Championships in Taipei City, having in 2000 struck gold at the Sydney Paralympic Games.
A total of 60 players in the women’s singles wheelchair classes, overall 17 have won medals at either the World Para Championships or Paralympic Games.
Competing in Granada
- Paralympic Games – Medallists – Men’s Singles Class 1-5
- Paralympic Games – Medallists – Men’s Singles – Classes 6-11
- Paralympic Games – Medallists – Women’s Singles Class 1-5
- Paralympic Games – Medallists – Women’s Singles Class 6-11
- World Para Championships – Medallists – Men’s Singles Class 1-5
- World Para Championships – Medallists – Men’s Singles Class 6-11
- World Para Championships – Medallists – Women’s Singles Class 1-5
- World Para Championships – Medallists – Women’s Singles Class 6-11
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