A year ago today the curtain fell on what many considered as the largest paralympic Para table tennis competition in history. During two extraordinary days, South Paris Arena 4 witnessed breakthrough victories, redemption stories and historical scoops that have perfectly encapsulated the magic of Paralympic Sport.
On September 6, Yunier Fernandez supplied one of the most important moments of the tournament and claimed Cuba’s very first Paralympic gold medal in Para-table Tennis. His impressive 3-0 win over the Robert Davies of Great Britain in the final of the class 1 men’s singles was the highlight of years of perseverance for the Cuban star.
“I am very happy because this is the first gold medal for Cuba,” Fernandez thought. “I have been training for that for a long time. This medal is a bit late in the arrival, but the most important thing is that I have won it now.”
Competing in his third Paralympic Games after fifth place ends in Beijing 2008 and Tokyo 2020, Fernandez ‘Path to Gold showed remarkable resilience. He conquered Tokyo 2020 bronze medal winner Thomas Matthews with 3-1 in the quarterfinals before he sent the Italian Federico Falco 3-2 into a nail-biting semi-final that set up his historic last triumph.
Perhaps the most inspiring story of 19-year-old Najlah Imad, who became the very first Paralympic medal winner of Iraq on 7 September in Para-table tennis and she made the gold. Her 3-1 victory over title defender Maryna Lytovchenko took off an extraordinary journey that started in tragedy but until triumph floured.
In only three years old, a bea -explosion in Baquba had forever changed the life of Najlah, which resulted in the loss of much of her right leg, her left leg on the knee and her right forearm. But at the age of 10 she discovered table tennis despite the first concerns of her family.
“My advice to all people, especially women, is that my disability did not prevent me from reaching my dream,” she said. “Strive and keep working until you reach your dream.”
Training in modest circumstances with second -hand equipment, saw the rapid rise of Najlah her first local tournament win only six months after picking up a paddle. Her triumph in Paris not only represented personal performance, but hopes for countless others who were apparently insurmountable challenges.
The bronze medal from Isau Ogunkunle in class 4 men Singles marked Nigeria’s return to Paralympic Para table tennis glory after 24 years. His medal ended a drought that extended to Sydney 2000, when Tajuden Agunbiade and Alabi Olufemi claimed gold and bronze respectively.
Ogunkunle’s trip to the stage included stunning victories over the rule of Paralympic champion Abdullah Ozturk and Tokyo 2020 Bronze medal winner Maxime Thomas. Although his semi-final ended against the final champion Kim Young-Gun, his performance revived the Nigerian hope in sport.
The story of Viktor Didukh offered one of the most emotionally charged moments of the competition. Three years after losing the Tokyo 2020 class 8 men’s singles final of the Chinese Zhao Shuai, the Ukrainian claimed his redemption with an exciting 3-2 victory in Paris.
“Nobody expected I would win,” Didukh admitted afterwards. “He is stronger, more mobile, he has two legs, I have one leg. It makes a difference with more mobility. I don’t know how I defeated him, it will take a long time to train.”
The journey of Didukh was formed by a cancer diagnosis in 2008, which resulted in the amputation of his left leg above the knee. But with the guidance of his brother Oleksandr – who participated in the London 2012 Olympic Games – Viktor transformed personal adversity into paralympic excellence.
The last match of the matches was from Laurens Devos of Belgium, who delivered a master class to claim his third consecutive Paralympic gold medal. His impressive 3-0 win over Lucas Didier van France in the 9 men’s Singles class finally covered the story of excellence and dominance of the tournament.
“Of course I feel great,” Devos reflected. “It is a great achievement to be a triple paralympic champion. The amount of pressure on my shoulders for the last few days was great, but of course you want to defend your title. The last three weeks I have not slept at all, it’s just busy.”
At the age of only 24 -Devos had remained unbeaten since 2015 in Para -Tafeltnis tournaments -a streak that spanned for almost ten years. His triumph in Paris, reached with characteristic calmness and precision against the passionate home crowd to support Didier, underlined why he had held the World No.1 ranking list since July 2017.
The Belgian victory was particularly moving as a family affair, where his brother served as a coach and offered crucial support from the sidelines. Their band had been an important role during Devos’ remarkable journey to become one of the greatest champions in sport.
While the last ball was hit on September 7, Para Table Tennis said goodbye to what ITTF president Petra Sörling called ‘A Dream Summer in Paris’. The tournament showed the sport like never before, with passionate French crowds who created an electric atmosphere that raised every game.
From historical scoops to redemption stories, from teenage sensations to experienced masters, perfectly recorded for the last two days why Paralympic Sport hits hearts and lives changes. The medals may be spread over 31 national paralympic committees, but the real winners were everyone who witnessed these extraordinary human stories that unfolded.
Looking back a year later, the last 48 hours in Paris demonstrated everything that was beautiful about Paralympic competition. Whether it was the long -awaited breakthrough of Fernandez, the inspiring triumph of Najlah, the historical achievement of Ogunkunle or the sweet revenge of Didukh, every story reminded us why paralympic sport merely competence. Paralympic para -table tennis had delivered a final that was worth his golden summer in the city of light.
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