Table tennis players return to action at Thailand Open
Table tennis Paralympic medallists such as Rungroj Thainiyom and Kim Young-Gun will compete for the first time since Rio 2016. 08 Oct 2016As the first major international competition following the Paralympic Games, the Para Table Tennis Thailand Open 2016 will showcase some recent standouts from Rio 2016. About 150 players will be competing in the tournament, which will take place between 9-12 October in Pattaya, Thailand.
The host nation will be represented by more than 30 athletes, all hoping to up the seven gold medals from last year’s Thailand Open. Thailand took home two bronze medals from September’s Paralympic Games in Rio compared to the one singles gold from London 2012.
Notably, Thailand’s Rio 2016 bronze medallist Rungroj Thainiyom will be competing at this year’s edition of the PTT Thailand Open, looking to defend his 2015 singles gold. The class 6 world No. 3 player took singles gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. However, he was unable to defend his title in Rio after falling to Spain’s eventual silver medallist Alvaro Valera.
South Korea’s Kim Young-Gun will be aiming to take home his first medal from the PTT Thailand Open 2016. Kim is ranked world No. 2 in class 4. In Rio, he took gold in the team competition with teammates Choi Il Sang and Kim Jung-gil, upgrading their team silver from London 2012.
South Korea’s Jung Young A will be another favourite to win. The world No. 3 class 5 Paralympian captured singles and team bronze in Rio this September. She last competed in the PTT Thailand Open in 2014 where she reached the top of the podium in both singles and teams.
A complete list of athletes can be found on the International Table Tennis Federation's (ITTF) website.