| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 13 July 1981 Gouda, Netherlands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 40 kg (88 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Netherlands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Para table tennis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability | Muscular disease | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability class | C6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Nico Blok (born 13 July 1981) [1] is a retired Dutch para table tennis player who competed in international level events. He is a Paralympic bronze medalist, three-time World medalist and a double European silver medalist. [2] [3]
When Blok was born in a hospital in Gouda, South Holland, doctors suspected that there was something wrong with him after he was born, it was later revealed that he was born with an unknown muscular disease. Due to this unknown muscular disease, he was prominently thin as he only weighed 40kg at a height of 1.77m and has also had limited muscle strength and walking long distances were impossible for him.
Blok was very fascinated in sports at a young age: his older brother played soccer and tennis but it was too hard for Nico. His parents tried to find an alternative sport for him to participate in and when he was nine years old, he tried out table tennis and this was how he got his motivation. [4] [5]
Lisa Daniela "Danni" Di Toro is an Australian wheelchair tennis and para table tennis player. Di Toro was the 2010 French Open doubles champion and has also been the Masters double champion. In singles, Di Toro is the former world number one and two time masters finalist. In 2015, she moved to para-table tennis and represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, where she was team captain with Kurt Fearnley. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, her sixth Paralympics, she was the team captain and Opening Ceremony flag bearer with Ryley Batt.
Kelly van Zon is a Dutch table tennis player competing in both disabled and able-bodied competitions. She currently plays for Dutch club TTV SKF in Veenendaal. She competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, in Women's individual class 7, winning a gold medal, and in Women's team class 6–8, winning a silver medal.
Samuel "Sam" Von Einem is an Australian Paralympic table tennis player. Von Einem has represented Australia in table tennis since 2011. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, where he won silver medals in the Men's Class 11. At Rio Paralympics, he became Australia's first male table tennis medalist since Terry Biggs won gold in 1984.
Barak Mizrachi is an Australian Paralympic table tennis player. After playing competitive table tennis for the first time in 2001, he went on to make his international debut in 2003 at the Maccabiah Games. He has since represented Australia at the Maccabiah Games in 2005, 2007 and 2009, before being selected for the 2016 Summer Paralympics.
Zhang Yan is a Chinese para table tennis player. He has won five medals from three Paralympic Games.
Liu Meili is a Chinese retired para table tennis player. She has won gold medals at every Paralympic Games from 2000 to 2012, for a total of five gold medals, two silvers, and one bronze.
Julien Soyer is a former para table tennis player from India who competed for France in international level events. He contracted polio aged six months old and had his right leg amputated; he would wear a complete prosthetic when competing in table tennis events. After his retirement from sport, he works as a sports journalist.
Gilles de la Bourdonnaye is a French para table tennis player who competes in international level events. He is a triple Paralympic champion, triple World champion and thirteen time European champion. His right arm was amputated when he was three years old after an elevator accident.
François Sérignat is a retired French para table tennis player who competed at international level events. He has participated at three Paralympic Games, he is a triple European champion and a double World bronze medalist. He has played alongside Gilles de la Bourdonnaye and Olivier Chateigner.
Nico Vergeylen is a retired Belgian para table tennis player who competed in international level events. He was a Paralympic champion, double World silver medalist and six-time European medalist. He has won most of his team titles alongside Marc Ledoux and Mathieu Loicq.
Piotr Grudzień is a Polish para table tennis player who competes in international level events. He is a Paralympic and World champion and a multiple European medalist in team events. He has won medals alongside Patryk Chojnowski and his training partner Marcin Skrzynecki.
Stanisław Frączyk is a retired Austrian-Polish para table tennis player. He is a triple Paralympic champion, a triple World champion, an eleven-time European champion and three time Polish national champion.
Tonnie Heijnen is a Dutch para table tennis player who competes in international level events. He is a Paralympic champion, World champion and six-time European medalist. He competes in team events alongside Gerben Last.
Stéphane Messi is a French para table tennis player who competes in international level events. He is a Paralympic champion, a five-time World medalist and a European champion. He has won medals in team events alongside Michel Schaller, François Sérignat and Alain Pichon.
Egon Kramminger is an Austrian para table tennis player. He is a four-time World medalist, 12-time European medalist and has participated at the Paralympic Games five times.
Maxime Thomas is a French para table tennis player who competes in international level events. He is a triple Paralympic bronze medalist, a World champion and six time European champion in team events. He is also a four-time World bronze medalist and double European champion in singles events.
Trevor Hirth is an Australian Paralympic table tennis player. He represented Australia at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Thomas "Tom" Matthews is a British Paralympic table tennis player. At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, he won a bronze medal in the Men's individual class 1 event. Matthews is also a European champion and a World bronze medalist.
Walter Kilger is a German former para table tennis player. He is a three-time European champion, World silver medalist and a Paralympic bronze medalist. He was member of the German paralympic tabletennis team at the Paralympics 2000 in Sydney, 2004 in Peking and 2008. and won 2 bronze medals. He was decorated by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany with the Silver Laurel Leaf, Germany's highest sport award.<ref>Sportbericht der Bundesregierung an den Bunbestag - Drucksache 14/96119 - Seite 51 ... seit 1992 werden auch die Medaillengewinner der Paralympischen Spiele mit dem Silbernen Lorbeerblatt ausgezeichnet ...<r/ef>
Adam Jurasz is a Polish retired para table tennis player who competed in international table tennis competitions. He is a Paralympic silver medalist and European silver medalist in team events, he won his medals alongside Miroslaw Kowalski.
