Paris 2024 champions Kelly van Zon (NED) and Najlah Al Dayyeni (IRQ) returned to the international stage in style: with gold at the ITTF World Para Challenger event in Podgorica, Montenegro. Both players chose the event in the Montenegrin capital as the battleground for their first competition since Paris 2024. “Despite the difficulty of the matches, I won gold, ” said Al Dayyeni, who topped the Women’s C6 podium, with a smile.
Al Dayyeni got the better of Great Britain’s Felicity Pickard in the final (3-0) to claim her first victory of 2025. “My goal is to maintain this Paralympic achievement and win a gold medal in every tournament. I didn’t accomplish this (win) alone. My coach, the world-class Captain Haider Salim, has always stood behind me”, Al Dayyeni added. “He accompanies me to every tournament, stays up late analyzing and identifying my mistakes, and trains me on the playing style of each opponent. I follow every instruction he gives me, point by point. Training is the foundation of my success.”
Four-time Paralympic champion Van Zon (NED) landed on top of the podium in the Women’s C7 class after beating Aruzhan Giniyatova (KAZ), Pilar Gonzalez (ESP), Claudia Perez (MEX), and Galina Gorokhovatcenko (AIN) in her group.
Al Dayyeni and Van Zon were not the only Paris 2024 medalists returning to international action ánd triumphing in Podgorica, however. Germany’s Thomas Schmidberger (pictured above), who earned a silver in the Men’s C3 at last year’s Paralympics, claimed victory in the Men’s C3.
Paralympic Champion Muzinic Thrice Golden
Croatia’s Andela Muzinic, the reigning Paralympic champion in the Women’s C3, secured her second Singles victory of 2025 after she beat compatriot Helena Karic (CRO) 3-0 in the final. “After winning gold in Poland (last month), I also claimed top spot here”, she said. “I went undefeated throughout the tournament.”
After the Women’s Singles final, the two Croatian players teamed up to claim victory in the Women’s Doubles WD10, again undefeated. “We had some tricky matches, but when it mattered most, we gave it our all and came out on top”, Muzinic said.
Muzinic topped it off in the mixed, partnering with Tomislav Spalj (CRO), triumphing in the XD4-7.
Radovic Wins in Front of Home Crowd
Paris 2024 and Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Filip Radovic (MNE) gave the home fans plenty to cheer about as he claimed the Men’s C9-10 victory after he beat Pawel Wlodkya (POL) in the final (3-0). “I’m happy with my first place in front of the home crowd. It wasn’t easy”, Radovic said. “The biggest challenge came in the semifinals, where I had to go to five sets against Mahiro Funayama (JPN)”, he added. “I’m glad I stayed composed in the tense moments and managed to play my best when it mattered most. In the final, I faced the always tricky Polish national team member, Pawel Wlodyka. We had already met in the group stage, but in the final, I raised my level and beat him a bit more comfortably than the day before.”
Peter Lovas (SVK) emerged victorious in the C1-2 and also came out on top in the MD4, partnering with teammate Jan Riapos (SVK).
Like Lovas, Maksim Nazarkin (AIN) and Danill Domanevskii (AIN) also claimed two gold medals in Podgorica. Nazarkin emerged victorious in the Men’s C7 and then added the Men’s Doubles MD14 after teaming up with Domanevskii.
Domanevskii took gold in the Mixed Doubles XD14 with Galina Gorokhovatchenko (AIN).
Recap the Action
Missed the action from Podgorica and want a comprehensive rundown of the results? We’ve got you covered. Head to the results section of our website to take a look at every result. And to relive the action from across various tables, visit our YouTube page.
What’s Next in the ITTF Para Circuit?
A step up on the ladder from the Future events, Challenger aims to bring a higher intensity and even more unmissable moments. From the debut in Wladyslawowo, Poland, the action took a trip to São Paulo, Brazil and Podgorica (MNE).
Over the remainder of the year Challenger will head to Lasko (Slovenia), Kaohsiung (Chinese Taipei), Astana (Kazakhstan), Al Ain (UAE) and Giza (Egypt).
