Lignano 2013: Five faces to watch

The ITTF Para-Table Tennis Championships will take place from 27 September – 4 October in Lignano, Italy. 28 Sep 2013

France's Thu Kamkasomphou celebrates winning a point during her women's singles Class 8 gold-medal match at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

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By IPC

The Championships will draw 290 athletes from 29 different countries, and they will take part in 11 different classifications in both the men’s and women’s competitions.

With the ITTF Para-Table Tennis European Championships set to open on Friday (27 September), here’s a glimpse of the five top competitors to look out for.

The Championships will draw 290 athletes from 29 different countries, and they will take part in 11 different classifications in both the men’s and women’s competitions.

The Championships will be live streamed on the event page.

1. Patryk Chojnowski (Poland, men’s Class 10): The world’s No. 1 player in his class has the most points of any athlete in any classification in the rankings this season. He won singles gold at London 2012 and is also the reigning European champion in the event, having won the title in Split, Croatia back in 2011.

2. Will Bayley (Great Britain, men’s Class 7): What more can we say about the British table tennis star that’s not already been said? According to Bayley, he’s in better form now than his silver-medal showing at London 2012, and he claims his career will be ready to peak for Rio 2016.

3. Anna-Carin Ahlquist (Sweden, women’s Class 3): Sweden’s fearless world No. 1 will look to repeat her European title – and add to her Paralympic title from last year – and she said she doesn’t feel any added pressure despite being deemed the one to beat heading into the tournament.

4. Thu Kamkasomphou (France, women’s Class 8): Despite settling for silver at London 2012 after taking singles gold at Beijing 2008, Kamkasomphou is still No. 1 in the world in her class and is a veteran in the game heading into the event in Lignano. Some say she’s a sure bet for gold. What do you think?

5. Olga Gorshkaleva (Russia, women’s Class 9): Gorshkaleva was not a London 2012 medal winner, but may be one of Russia’s best hopes to top the podium at this year’s European Championships. She’s third in world rankings at the moment, but both athletes ahead of her – China’s Lina Lei and Meili Liu – will not be at the Championships. Thus, it’s all Gorshkaleva’s to lose. Or to win.