by Simon Daish
Nominated for the award alongside fellow 2018 World Championship gold medallists Fabien Lamirault and Florian Van Acker of France and Belgium respectively, Jordi Morales is the second Spanish athlete to receive the Male Para Star award with Álvaro Valera Muñoz-Vargas winning it back in 2014.
In October, Morales shocked spectators across the globe, going from unseeded competitor to Class 7 Men’s Singles champion at the 2018 ITTF Para World Championships, beating Jean-Paul Montanus at the final hurdle to lift the trophy.
Competing on home soil earlier in the year, Morales also added a silver medal to his trophy collection, finishing in the Class 7 runner-up spot at the 2018 Spanish Para Open in Sant Cugat del Valles.