Paralympic Table Tennis Champion Rob Davies to Miss Tokyo 2020 Due to Injury
London, July 15th – Reigning Paralympic table tennis champion Rob Davies will not be able to defend his title at the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Games due to a persistent shoulder injury. The Briton, who won the men’s singles class 1 gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, expressed his disappointment at having to withdraw from the competition.
“Winning gold in Rio was one of my proudest moments, and I was looking forward to defending my title and competing in my third Paralympic Games,” said Davies, the Abergavenny native. “But injury is part of sport, and I’ll now focus on regaining my fitness ahead of the World Championships next year.”
Despite Davies’ absence, ParalympicsGB will still be well-represented in the table tennis events at Tokyo 2020. The squad includes defending Paralympic champion Will Bayley, who won silver at the 2012 London Games and gold in Rio, as well as Rio 2016 bronze medalists Ross Wilson and Aaron McKibbin.
“Rob was a fantastic part of ParalympicsGB at Rio 2016, and his gold medal will live long in all our memories as one of the highlights of the Games,” said Penny Briscoe, the ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission. “We recognize that injury is always a risk in elite sport, and to have to withdraw so close to the start of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games must be desperately disappointing for Rob. All at ParalympicsGB wish him well in his recovery and look forward to seeing him back in action when he feels ready.”
The Paralympic table tennis tournaments will take place at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium from August 25 to September 3, with 54 nations expected to compete across 31 events. China remains the most successful country in the sport, with 62 gold medals, followed by Germany and France.
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