British Para Table Tennis Stars Vie for Paris 2024 Qualification in Thailand
In a crucial bid to secure their spots at the upcoming 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, a squad of seven talented British Para table tennis athletes will compete in the Paralympic World Qualification Tournament in Pattaya, Thailand from May 23-25.
The team is headlined by Tokyo 2020 medalists Jack Hunter-Spivey, Tom Matthews, Megan Shackleton, and Ross Wilson, who are eager to replicate and build upon their previous Paralympic success. They will be joined by European silver medalist and world doubles champion Grace Williams, as well as Theo Bishop and Chris Ryan, who are aiming to make their Paralympic debuts.
For Matthews, Shackleton, and Wilson, the tournament will provide a valuable opportunity to qualify directly through their world rankings, having narrowly missed out on automatic selection in the past. Meanwhile, Williams and Bishop will be bidding to earn their first-ever Paralympic berths, while Ryan seeks to transition from leading the GB wheelchair rugby team to gold in Tokyo to becoming a table tennis Paralympian.
“Paralympic qualification has been harder than ever this time, and Jack, Tom, Megan and Ross are all Paralympic medallists and top 10 in their class but just missed out on automatic qualification,” said Gorazd Vecko, the BPTT Performance Director. “Grace has shown that she can compete with the best at the major events, and Theo and Chris deserve the chance to try and qualify having made great progress over the last 12 months.”
The British contingent will be determined to make the most of this final opportunity to secure their place at the Paralympic World Qualification Tournament, as they seek to continue the nation’s strong tradition in table tennis and bring home more medals from Paris 2024.
🔗 Source
