Gold medallists at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, when play concluded on Saturday 4th May at the 2024 ITTF Montenegro Para Open in Podgorica, there was a clear message: when the world meets later this year in Paris, players who gained the highest honours in the Japanese capital city are focused on repeating the feat.
Just as in Tokyo, in Podgorica Korea Republic’s Joo Youngdae (class 1). Germany’s Valentin Baus (class 5) and Belgium’s Laurens Devos (class 9) all secured men’s singles titles, as in the women’s singles did Australia’s Lei Li Na (class 9-10).
Later Joo Youngdae partnered Jang Yeongjin to men’s doubles gold (class 4) and Lee Migyu to mixed doubles success (class 4), thus emerging the most successful in the whole tournament alongside Frenchman Clément Berthier.
In addition to the men’s singles victory (class 8), he won men’s doubles gold partnering Esteban Herrault (class 14) and the mixed doubles with Morgen Caillaud (class 14).
A boost for Morgen Caillaud, it meant she departed Podgorica with two titles to her name; additionally, she partnered Germany’s Nina Reck to women’s doubles gold (class 14).
Likewise, Valentin Baus and Laurens Devos added to their collections; both enjoyed men’s doubles success, Valentin Baus with Thomas Schmidberger (class 8), Laurens Devos partnering Marc Ledoux (class 18).
Two titles secured, it was the same for Korea Republic’s Moon Sunghye and Brazil’s Bruna Alexandre.
Moon Sunghye, after enjoying women’s singles success (class 5), partnered Jung Younga to women’s doubles gold (class 5-10); Bruna Alexandre prevailed in the women’s doubles with Danielle Rauen (class 20), in mixed doubles alongside Paulo Salmin (class 17-20).
The top prize for Tokyo gold medallists, it was the same for one notable name who had succeeded at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, Belgium’s Floran van Acker secured men’s singles gold (class 11).
Victory for Florian von Acker was no surprise, a situation that in the men’s singles applied to Korea Republic’s Park Jincheol (class 2) and Kim Junggil (class 4), as well as to Jenson van Emburgh of the United States (class 3). Similarly, the win recorded by the host nation’s Filip Radovic (class 10) was as status advised.
Meanwhile, in the women’s singles, prominent names succeeded. Croatia’s Andela Muzinic Vincetic struck gold (class 3), a situation that also applied to Germany’s Sandra Mikolaschek (class 4) and Elena Prokofeva, an independent athlete (class 11).
Winners as expected but there were surprises, in the men’s singles Chile’s Matthew Pino (class 6) and Danill Domaneskii, an independent athlete (class 7) claimed gold, an outcome that was also witnessed in the women’s singles by Norway’s Nora Korneliussen (class 6-7) and Eva Kuts, also an independent athlete (class 8).
Titles for Europeans, as play concluded there were high notes for Asian visitors.
Japan’s Koya Kato and Takeshi Takemori claimed men’s doubles gold (class 22), colleagues Hajime Hara and Nanako Hazeyama prevailed as a mixed doubles pair (class 22).
Likewise, there was success for the Korea Republic on the final day of play.
Competing in the mixed doubles, Kim Junggil and Yoon Jiyu (class 7) claimed gold as did compatriots Baek Youngbok and Jung Younga (class 10).
Play concluded in Podgorica, the 2024 ITTF Slovenia Para Open, a four-day tournament with a factor 40 weighting for World ranking, commences on Tuesday 7th May.
