Gold in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, local eyes in the Para table tennis events at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will undoubtedly focus on Fabien Lamirault as, in men’s singles class 2, he aims to make it three in row.
Furthermore, he is very much the local man, a quadriplegic following a car accident in 1998 he hails from Longjumeau, a suburb in the south of Paris; the venue for the Para table tennis events, the South Paris Arena 4.
Lamirault is one of five French players competing in Paris who gained medals in Tokyo.
Bronze medallists, in the men’s singles Maxime Thomas competes in class 4, Lucas Creange in class 11; notably both have enjoyed success this year. Lucas Creange won in Egypt and Brazil, Maxime Thomas also in Brazil.
Likewise, in the women’s singles, Lea Ferney, a class 11 silver medallist in Tokyo, will be on duty as will Anne Barneoud, a bronze medallist, in class 7.
Most certainly, Lea Ferney is a strong candidate to repeat her Tokyo success; similar to her male counterparts, this year she won in Brazil, but the notable factor is that she responds in the major events. She won gold at the Andalucia 2022 World Para Championships.
Life for Anne Barneoud is somewhat different, she has not appeared on the international scene since Tokyo in 2021.
Medal contenders and with home support who knows what France may achieve; there are most worthy names who have displayed the potential to reserve a podium place.
Florian Merrien and Sylvain Noel appear in men’s singles class 3; Merrien was crowned European champion on three consecutive occasions; he won in 2005 before repeating the success in 2007 and 2009.
However, there has been such recent success, a somewhat different situation for Sylvain Noel; this year he won in Kazakhstan and at the World Para Qualification tournament in Thailand.
In a similar vein, both Esteban Herrault and Clément Berthier, scheduled to compete in Paris, have enjoyed success this year; Herrault was a men’s singles class 6 bronze medallist in Montenegro, Berthier struck gold in Slovenia, a tournament that in terms of quality witnessed one of year’s strongest fields to date.
Alas for the evergreen 51-year-old Stéphane Messi, despite being a regular name on the international scene this year, there has been no such success. However, if experience is to tell, he is the man. In 1995 he won men’s singles class 6 gold at the European Para Championships; later, at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games he emerged the winner.
Worthy French names and in the men’s singles the names of Thomas Bouvais and Mateo Boheas may be added to the list.
Both secured medals at the 2022 World Para Championships, Bouvais gained silver in class 8, Boheas bronze in class 10. Additionally, Boheas was a silver medallist three years ago in Tokyo and has enjoyed success this year. He won in Egypt and Spain. Notably Bouvais was a bronze medallist in Spain.
Experienced competitors as in the women’s singles is Thu Kamkasomphu, a bronze medallist in Tokyo, she won class 8 at the Paralympic Games in 2000 in Sydney and eight years later in Beijing.
The record is very different to that of her colleague Alexandra Saint-Pierre, when play was taking place at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, her name was not known; her international debut being the Slovenia Para Open October 2021.
A quick learner, at the Andalucia 2022 World Para Championships, she won women’s singles class 5 gold; this year she secured bronze in Montenegro, on home soil will she respond as two years ago? Clearly she likes the big time!
Medals for France in Paris, can they improve on Tokyo 2020?
