Jean Paul Montanus

Started: He began playing table tennis at age nine in the Netherlands and was scouted to try Para table tennis at age 12, but he decided against pursuing the sport following a couple of training sessions. He returned to table tennis after graduating from university and began training with the Dutch national Para table tennis team in 2019. (inthezoneperformance.nl, 10 Nov 2021; parawatcher.nl, 06 Sep 2018) Reason: "My father played table tennis and that's why I found it interesting. He bought me a bat and I began hitting the ball against a cupboard door. I loved it, but there was no club in Alkmaar [Netherlands]. I went to swimming lessons in Heerhugowaard [Netherlands], and next to the pool there was a club where I went to train every Saturday before swimming." (Athlete, 16 Oct 2015; parawatcher.nl, 06 Sep 2018) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 24 Sep 2023) Additional Info: TOKYO WITHDRAWAL Despite earning qualification for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, he announced his withdrawal from team selection for the Games in April 2021. He said the one-year postponement of the Games due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the disruption to the competition schedule affected his motivation to compete at the event. "The rescheduling of the Games was a blow to me. The period without training, competition matches and tournaments became longer and longer and this was at the expense of my motivation for Tokyo. It was the most difficult decision of my life [withdrawing from the Games]. The news was surprising for the NTTB [Netherlands Table Tennis Association] technical staff and my friends. But I have to choose myself and be honest. I'm not mentally ready for the Games, so I'm not going. I am happy with what I have achieved so far. Who knows, maybe in three years time everyone will see me back in Paris at the 2024 Paralympic Games." (tafeltennis.nl, 01 Apr 2021)