Australian trio qualifies for Table Tennis Worlds

Melissa Tapper, James Kwon and Nathan Pellissier all won their singles events at the 2013 ITTF Oceania Regional Para-Table Tennis Championships. 13 Nov 2013
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Melissa Tapper

Australia's Melissa Tapper is ranked No. 4 in the world in the women's table tennis singles Class 10.

ⒸITTF
By Australian Paralympic Committee

“I still need to improve a lot to be at the standard of play that was seen in London last year at the Paralympics, but I’ll just keep playing like I’m playing and hopefully my different style will get me through to the next Paralympic Games.”

Three Australians have booked a direct passage to the 2014 World Championships with their performances at the 2013 ITTF Oceania Regional Para-Table Tennis Championships on Wednesday (13 November) in Canberra.

Melissa Tapper, James Kwon and Nathan Pellissier all won gold medals in their respective classes at the Australian Institute of Sport’s main arena to officially secure their tickets to Beijing, China, next September.

Australian head coach Roger Massie said the trio’s qualification was an exciting step for the sport and with several other Australians still in with a chance to meet the qualification criteria over the coming months, the future looks bright.

The 2014 ITTF World Para-Table Championships will be staged in Beijing, China, from 6-15 September.

“We’ve never had more than two competitors at a World Championships before, so three is great,” Massie said.

Tapper, the world No. 2 in the women’s Class 10, is Australia’s highest-ranked Paralympic player and displayed sheer class by not dropping a game on the way to securing her gold medal.

Kwon (Class 2-3) and Pellissier (Class 7-8) were not as dominant, but showed they will be no pushovers when they arrive in Beijing for their first shot on the world stage.

“Now we want to put our focus on making an impact there,” Massie said. “We don’t just want to turn up, we want to get there and win some medals. Heading towards the Rio Paralympics, this tournament has been fantastic in helping us with our preparation.”

Christopher Addis (Class 4-5), Trevor Hirth (Class 6) and Sam Von Einem (Class 11) were the others from the host nation to win gold in their respective classes, while New Zealander Victor Kamizona (Class 9-10) was the only athlete from overseas to reach the top of the podium.

“I’m really happy about the way I played,” Kamizona said.

“I still need to improve a lot to be at the standard of play that was seen in London last year at the Paralympics, but I’ll just keep playing like I’m playing and hopefully my different style will get me through to the next Paralympic Games.”

Medallists – Singles draw

Women’s Class 6-10

1st: Melissa Tapper (Australia)

2nd: Andrea McDonnell (Australia)

3rd: Veronique Luissiez (New Caledonia)

Men’s Class 2-3

1st: James Kwon (Australia)

2nd: Mark Harris (Australia)

3rd: James Goulding (New Zealand)

Men’s Class 4-5

1st: Christopher Addis (Australia)

2nd: Andrew Browning (Australia)

Men’s Class 6

1st: Trevor Hirth (Australia)

2nd: Yasir Hussaini (Australia)

3rd: Nathan Cawley (Australia)

Men’s Class 7-8

1st: Nathan Pellissier (Australia)

2nd: Avelino Monterio (New Caledonia)

3rd: James Swanbury (Australia) / Ayush Bhatnagar (New Zealand)

Men’s Class 9-10

1st: Victor Kamizona (New Zealand)

2nd: Jackson Meyn (Australia)

Men’s Class 11

1st: Sam Von Einem (Australia)

2nd: Rory Carroll (Australia)

3rd: Ashley Parrott (New Zealand)