Elite by name, elite by nature. The first ITTF Para Elite event came to a close, with an A-list list of gold medal winners at the top of the headlines.
The likes of Natalia Partyka and Kelly van Zon marked their return to competition, while there were back-to-back victories for seven of those who achieved success a week earlier in the same location.
Back in the big-time
After months of Future and Challenger events in the new look ITTF Para Circuit, it finally became time for Elite to get its moment in the sun. And having hosted a Challenger event a week earlier, Lasko again provided the location for the most star-studded event yet.
Paris 2024 medallists, World champions and icons of the sport all converged in Slovenia for five days of action, with all eyes heading towards the middle Wednesday and the destination of the individual medals.
Having made it four gold medals from four Paralympic Games, Lasko was an opportunity to watch and admire Netherlands’ Kelly van Zon; and as always, she didn’t disappoint. While it wasn’t all plain sailing – a nervy 3-2 victory over Mexico’s Claudia Perez was her final group match – it all ended in class 7 gold. Van Zon was victorious over Kan Shan Chiu in the final.
Natalia Partyka was in action as well, the Polish six-time Paralympic champion firmly in the action and moving towards the top of her game in a run to gold in the class 10. Partyka saw off the always dangerous Bruna Alexandre of Brazil 3-1 in the final. But while Partyka and van Zon were fresh to Lasko action, the same can’t be said for seven of our other individual winners.
Made it a double success in Lasko
The first week was so nice that some of our Challenger winners just had to do it again!
After success a week prior, day three of Elite competition saw Sandra Mikolaschek, Will Bayley, Aaron McKibbin, Jenson van Emburgh, Andela Muzinic Vincetic, Fabien Lamirault and Miya Yamaguchi ensure their hand luggage will have double the delights.
For McKibbin of Great Britain, it was a case of weeks one and two being carbon copies, as he beat Maksym Nikolenko in both class 8 finals. His countrymate Bayley made it a treble of gold medals from his Slovenian adventure, adding class 7 gold over Katsuyoshi Yagi to his single and double medals a week previous.
For Andela Muzinic Vincetic, 2024 at the table has been a case of victory after victory after victory. Another was added here in the form of a class 3 win over Italy’s Calotta Ragazzini, while Sandra Mikolaschek built on her fabulous first week with class 4-5 victory over Flora Vautier.
Elsewhere, Aino Tapola got the better of Dorota Buclaw in the class 1 decider. Poland’s three-time world champion Patryk Chojnowski thrilled in the final with a 3-0 victory against Paris 2024 bronze medallist Filip Radovic. Chen Po-yen held his nerve for 3-2 success in the class 11 final against Lucas Creange of France, and Spain’s Ander Cepas was victorious in class 9.
There were wins also for Kim Hyeon Uk, Catia Oliveira, Peter Rosenmeier, Najlah Al Dayyeni, Yuri Tomono and Mitar Palikuca.
Dream days in the doubles
The final two days were devoted to doubles, and as ever they truly did not disappoint. Thursday was a tale of two halves for Slovakia’s Paralympic champions Peter Lovas and Jan Riapos, who began the day with defeat to Iker Sastre and Daniel Rodriguez of Spain. But when they met again in the final? It was all change, with Lovas and Riapos emerging 3-1 victos in the MD4.
Elsewhere on Thursday and Korean pair Kim Jung-gil and Kim Young-gun took MD8 victory, while Sweden’s Emil Andersson and Michael Azulay won a 3-2 finale in the MD14.
On the women’s doubles side of competition, Brazil had pleny to celebrate in the form of Joyce de Oliveira and Catia Oliveira. The exciting duo beat the strong Italian pair of Carlotta Ragazzini and Giada Rossi 3-1 in the WD5. Lee Mi Gyu (KOR) and Flora Vautier won in the WD10 final, while Zsofia Arloy (HUN) and Katarzyna Marszal (POL) completed victory in the WD14.
Lasko finalised with mixed doubles, where Bly Twomey and Will Bayley continued their hot streak to make it successive doubles victories together, with their last coming just a week earlier in the same location.
Lee Mi Gyu made it successive doubles victories in two days too, pairing with Kim Hyeon Uk for XD4 success, and the pairing of Boris Travnicek (SVK)/Thais Fraga Severo (BRA) won in the XD7. There were wins also for Kim Young-gun and Zorica Popadic (XD10) and Su Jin Sian/Lin Tzu Yu.
Next Up
As we head from Lasko and our opening Elite event, attention goes back to the Future competitions. At the end of the month a double-header begins in South America, with Buenos Aires (ARG) and Santiago de Chile welcoming the action. June has two additional Future outings too, in Ostrava (CZE) and Taipei (TPE).
