As the favourites fell left and right in a table tennis tournament full of upsets, Natalia Partyka of Poland just kept on getting the job done. One of the biggest stars in the sport clinched a record fourth consecutive class 10 women's singles gold medal. She then led Poland to victory over China in the classes 6-10 team competition to avenge finals lost to the Chinese at Beijing 2008 and Athens 2004. Having made her Paralympic debut at the Sydney 2000 Games aged 11, Partyka is still only 27 years old and could keep her golden run going well into the future. Sandra Paovic finds love and glory in second chapter of table tennis career
She said early exits of highly fancied players in other classes, such as Ma Lin of China and Viktor Didukh of Ukraine, served as a healthy reminder to avoid complacency. "It's the beauty of table tennis. Even if you seem to be the best in your group - and many favourites lost in semis, quarters, even the group stage - in table tennis you never know. You have to be always ready for everything," she said. Paralympic table tennis competition to serve up tantalising matches at Rio 2016 Partyka led a strong Polish contingent which secured second place in the medal table, with eight. That still left them well behind China with its 21 podium finishes, including 13 golds. Strong performances in the male competitions ensured Great Britain and France rounded out the top four, while Brazil exceeded expectations with a silver and a hat-trick of bronze medals. Will Bayley of Great Britain reigns supreme in table tennis The biggest attraction at the tournament, however, was not the undefeated Partyka, but an Egyptian who did not win a single match: cult figure Ibrahim Hamadtou, who plays by gripping the racket in his mouth to compensate for his lack of arms.
Full table tennis results from the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games can be found here: https://www.rio2016.com/en/paralympics/table-tennis-schedule-and-results
She said early exits of highly fancied players in other classes, such as Ma Lin of China and Viktor Didukh of Ukraine, served as a healthy reminder to avoid complacency. "It's the beauty of table tennis. Even if you seem to be the best in your group - and many favourites lost in semis, quarters, even the group stage - in table tennis you never know. You have to be always ready for everything," she said. Paralympic table tennis competition to serve up tantalising matches at Rio 2016 Partyka led a strong Polish contingent which secured second place in the medal table, with eight. That still left them well behind China with its 21 podium finishes, including 13 golds. Strong performances in the male competitions ensured Great Britain and France rounded out the top four, while Brazil exceeded expectations with a silver and a hat-trick of bronze medals. Will Bayley of Great Britain reigns supreme in table tennis The biggest attraction at the tournament, however, was not the undefeated Partyka, but an Egyptian who did not win a single match: cult figure Ibrahim Hamadtou, who plays by gripping the racket in his mouth to compensate for his lack of arms.
Full table tennis results from the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games can be found here: https://www.rio2016.com/en/paralympics/table-tennis-schedule-and-results
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