ITTF No.4 (Jan) Final (2023_01_12)

PARA
History Makers
Calm
Furthermore, competing in women’s singles
class 8, she reached the quarter-final
stage losing to Norway’s Aida Dahlen, the
top seed and eventual silver medallist;
another most creditable performance not
anticipated when the flight left Manchester
airport.
“I have now learnt what I can
do, playing in Granada has been a
major help in improving my game”,
continued Grace Williams. “I had no
expectations, I came here to learn, as
the days progressed, I grew into the
tournament.”
Throughout Grace Williams remained
cool, calm and collected, seemingly
not overawed by the magnitude of
the setting; watching her play, she
portrayed a demeanour commensurate
with that of playing in the local St Myllin
church hall.
“Actually, I’m quite an anxious
person”, continued Grace Williams.
“I think it helped that I played in
Birmingham earlier this year at the
Commonwealth Games; even though in
Granada the set up was tremendous, I
was not too overawed by the occasion,
for me Birmingham was amazing.”
Undoubtedly, having competed in one
of the world’s major multi-sport events
was a big boost, so was the fact that
Shaun Marples, the British Para Table
Tennis Pathway Manager, was the coach
courtside, a most resolute character he
was able to keep his charges calm and
focused. You just had to look at his face
and the girls received a clear message:
“Believe, I want you to win”.
Equally, Fliss Pickard had a point
to prove; four years earlier she had
been a bronze medallist in women’s
singles class 6 at the World Para Table
Tennis Championships in Lasko but had
experienced the great disappointment
of not qualifying for the Tokyo 2020
Paralympic Games.
“I felt pressure before the match and
a bit overwhelmed as it was a World
Championship final,” said Grace Williams
immediately after the final. “I knew I
had Fliss beside me and Shaun in the
corner, I knew whatever the outcome
they’d be proud of me, and I’d be proud
of myself as well. I didn’t think too
much about it, but once we got a good
start against the Germans, I thought
‘I really want this now’. As soon as we
won the final point I thought ‘that’s it’
but it hasn’t really sunk in yet.”
Pride and make no mistake,
understandably Shaun Marples was a
very proud coach; in the space of some
five days, he had seen a player grow
from one with a sense of hesitancy to
one with inner self-belief.
“She is very good attacking from the
forehand; here in Granada she found
things that helped her keep calm
under pressure; it has been a really
good stage in her development, she
has learnt, most importantly she has
learnt how to adapt”, explained Shaun
Marples. “Fliss was a major influence,
she kept encouraging Grace and she
kept her calm; both showed really good
shot selection at vital moments.”
Each adjusted to situations that arose;
good players adapt, the British pair
adapted. Grace Williams is an intelligent
young lady, she is in her second year
of study at Sheffield Hallam University,
the subject being nutrition. The location
is ideal, it is the city where the English
Institute of Sport is based; moreover, if
the organisation needs an ambassador,
they need look no further, she speaks
most eloquently and with an engaging
smile.
Equally when starting to play table
tennis she had access to an excellent
club. She was able to attend a centre
renowned for the sport, the Halton
Table Tennis Club. The premises are
located in Runcorn, just the English
side of the Welsh border and organised
by Karen Tonge OBE, MBE, the
Chair of British Para Table Tennis.
“I started to play table tennis when
I was 12 years old but not seriously
until five years ago when I went to
Halton”, explained Grace Williams,
a player who, owing to her rapid
improvement, has now very much
written her name into the history
books of Welsh sport.
The Table Tennis Association of
Wales is one of the nine original
members of the International
Table Tennis Federation, they were
represented at the Foundation
meeting held in 1926 at the Stadium
Club in London. Furthermore, Roy
Evans, born in Cardiff, was President
of the International Table Tennis
Federation from 1967 to 1987.
However, look through the record
books, the only World champion
prior to Granada is the late Betty
Gray; she won women’s singles 80
years at the Vancouver 2000 World
Veteran Championships and in 2006
in Bremen, women’s doubles 85
years partnering Sweden’s Märtha
Göransson.
A place in the history books for
Grace Williams, it is the same for
Paul Karabardak, bronze medallist
in men’s singles class 6 at the Tokyo
2020 Paralympic Games. He hails
from Swansea in the south of the
principality. On the day prior to Fliss
Pickard and Grace Williams gaining
success, he partnered Billy Shilton
to men’s doubles class 14 gold. He
becomes the first male player ever
from Wales to be crowned World
champion!
“We train really hard and
sacrifice a lot to win major titles
like the World Championships,
it is indescribable how you feel
when you do it as it’s such an
amazing achievement; to be
the first Welshman in history to
be a World champion in table
tennis is fantastic”, said Paul
Karabardak.”There is only ever
one first and it fills me with
great pride to have been the
first to do this; I’m really
over the moon to have
achieved this for Welsh
table tennis and for
British Para Table
Tennis.”
Also, to the
Welsh roll of honour
include the names
of Rob Davies and
Josh Stacey. Gold
medallist at the Rio
2016 Paralympic Games,
in Granada Rob Davies
secured men’s singles
class 1 bronze. Meanwhile,
Josh Stacey the men’s
singles class 8-10 winner at
the Commonwealth Games
earlier in the year, gained
silver in men’s doubles class
18 partnering Ross Wilson and
the same colour in men’s singles
class 9.
Furthermore, consider the fact that
Charlotte Carey, Anna Hursey and
Chloe Thomas concluded matters
bronze medallists in the women’s
team event at the Commonwealth
Games, for Wales they are
experiencing a special time in their
history, halcyon days.
Wales for ever, bread of heaven!
26-ITTF Magazine
ITTF Magazine- 27