Life was red hot earlier this month in Astana, Lignano and Platja d’Aro; in Wladyslawowo at the 2024 ITTF Polish Para Open, play commencing in the four-day tournament on Tuesday 26th March, it will be white hot.
It is the last tournament on the calendar prior to the World rankings being published on Monday 1st April.
From those lists a total of 71 players will gain places in the 11 men’s singles events at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games; likewise, 24 reservations in the 10 women’s singles will be completed. The difference in the number of events is that women singles class 1 and class 2 are combined.
Similarly, 17 slots for men and 19 for women will be determined for the doubles’ events. In Paris, divided equally between wheelchair and standing, there will four for the men’s doubles and four women’s doubles plus two mixed doubles.
A National Paralympic Committee may enter a maximum of two athletes in any of each individual medal event, a maximum of two pairs in each of the men’s, women’s and mixed doubles events. Each pair must comprise two eligible athletes who have qualified for the respective singles events.
Places at stake, also the tournament is part of a player’s preparation schedule for Paris; that fact applies very much to the leading Polish names on duty.
Places booked virtue of being crowned European champions last year in Sheffield, Rafal Czuper (class 2) and Patryk Chojnowski (class 10) compete in the men’s singles; Karolina Pek (class 9) in the women’s singles.
Similarly, in the men’s singles, Turkey’s Abdullah Ozturk (class 4) and Chile’s Luis Bustamente, Pan American Games winner, will be on duty, as in the women’s singles will be Croatia’s Andela Muzinic-Vincetic (class 3) and Norway’s Aida Dahlen (class 8) alongside Chinese Taipei’s Lin Tzu-Yu (class 10), the Asian Games champion.
Notably from that group, both Rafal Czuper and Luis Bustamente have secured titles this month, Rafal Czuper won in Lignano and in Platja d’Aro, Luis Bustamente in Astana.
Success for Rafal Czuper means he is seeking three in a row; in the women’s singles it is the same for Japan’s Yuri Tomono (class 8).
Meanwhile, in the men’s singles Italy’s Federico Falco (class 1), Korea Republic’s Kim Youngun (class 4) and Sweden’s Jonas Hansson (class 7), seek back-to-back titles.
Likewise in the women’s singles, additional to Yuri Tomono, it is the same scenario for Germany’s Stephanie Grebe (class 6) and Chinese Taipei’s Tian Shuai-Wen (class 10).
Players in form this month and you can add to the list, for the men Denmark’s Peter Rosenmeier (class 6) won in Lignano as did Korea Republic’s Kim Gitae (class 11).
Likewise, also from Korea Republic, Kim Hakjin (class 1), Norway’s Tommy Urhaug (class 5) and Spain’s Ignacio Torres (class 6) alongside Poland’s Igor Misztal (class 10) and Maciej Makajew (class 11) compete in Wladyslawowo.
In a similar vein, in the women’s singles, Israel’s Caroline Tabib (class 5), Great Britain’s Bly Twomey and Tukey’s Merve Demir (class 10) claimed gold in Lignano.
Also, from Great Britain, Megan Shackleton (class 4) who had emerged a women’s singles winner earlier in the year in the United States and Brazil, won in Astana, a feat matched by in the Kazakhstan city by Korea Republic’s Jung Younga (class 5) and Australia’s Melissa Tapper (class 10).
Noteworthy names and you can add to the list more; players who have struck gold at the Paralympic Games. In the men’s singles, Great Britain’s Rob Davies (class 1), Hungary’s Peter Palos (class 11) and Slovakia’s Jan Riapos (class 2) all compete as does Frenchman Fabien Lamirault (class 2) alongside colleague, Stéphane Messi (class 7).
A total of 143 men and 73 women representing 39 member associations will be present in Wladyslawowo; the men’s singles and women’s singles events commence proceedings.
