Table tennis player Tahl Leibovitz has one gold and two bronze medals to show for a Paralympic Games career that stretches back to Atlanta 1996.
Much more importantly, the sport was the catalyst to turn his life around after a childhood in which his parents struggled with mental illness and substance abuse and he found himself homeless, aged 13.
“There were a lot of low moments, I was living on the E train, (and) the New York subway system, trying to get food, trying to stay out of jail. I was in jail maybe 50 times.
“I was stealing food – you’d end up in trouble trying to feed yourself. I wasn’t the best kid. I was doing credit card fraud, trying to get money as best I could.”
The celebrated seven-time Paralympian, who has benign bone tumours throughout his body, took up table tennis when he was around 14 or 15.
“I went to the South Queens Boys and Girls club, I was interested in martial arts, and they said table tennis is good for your reflexes. So I started doing it, and I liked it, and got really good at it.”
In 1995, at the age of 21, Chris Lehman, a coach with the US Para table tennis team, persuaded him to become part of the USA Paralympic squad and he made his debut at the Atlanta 1996 Games where he claimed singles gold. The 49-year-old competes in men’s singles Class 9 in Paris, having partnered Ian Seidenfeld in the doubles at South Paris Arena on Thursday.
“It’s about the battle with self. Trying to overcome, trying to do the best that you can, (and) not giving up. Having confidence. A lot of pressure is self-induced.
I’m almost 50 years old now, so this is a long time ago, but table tennis really helped me and changed things for me.”
Leibovitz is dedicated to using his experiences to help others.
“I’m a social worker in New York City, (and) it gives me so much satisfaction. I wouldn’t trade it for any other job. I’m helping people with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar. I’m looking to help them improve their function.”
He has released an autobiography, ‘The Book of Tahl’, detailing how he escaped the hopelessness and violence of life on the streets. He has also lived through huge improvements and growth in para sport and the Paralympic Games.
“I noticed it started to change in Athens, then in Beijing there were bigger crowds. But Paris has been my favourite so far. The city, the people – they’re all great.
And our governing organisation, USA Table Tennis, has given us so much support over the last five or six years. More than we’ve had in our entire careers. Access to anything we need – financial help, health insurance – that’s the biggest change.”
Credit: Olympic Information Service (OIS)
