Natalia Partyka

Started: She began playing table tennis at age seven in Gdansk, Poland. (Athlete, 14 Oct 2015; nataliapartyka.pl, 20 Sep 2015) Reason: She followed her older sister into table tennis, and she was also encouraged by her parents who wanted her to try the sport. "Table tennis is my biggest passion and I can't imagine my life without that little ball." (Athlete, 14 Oct 2015; nataliapartyka.pl, 20 Sep 2015) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 15 Nov 2023) Milestones: At age 15 years and 63 days, she became the youngest Polish table tennis player to win gold at the Paralympic Games when she triumphed in class 10 singles at the 2004 Games in Athens. (SportsDeskOnline, 25 May 2021) Awards: In 2023 she received the Hero Award from the Higher School of Education in Sports in Warsaw, Poland. The honour recognises students of the institution for outstanding sporting and non-sporting achievements. (Instagram profile, 23 Oct 2023) In 2017 she received the Commander's Cross of the Order of Rebirth of Poland. (prezydent.pl, 03 Dec 2017) In 2011 and 2016 she was named Para Athlete of the Year in Poland. (przegladsportowy.pl, 07 Jan 2017; eurosport.onet.pl, 20 Feb 2012) She was named the 2015 Sportsperson with an Impairment of the Year in Gdansk, Poland. (sport.trojmiasto.pl, 22 Dec 2015) In 2013 she received the Officer's Cross of the Order of Rebirth of Poland. (isip.sejm.gov.pl, 21 May 2013) In 2008 she received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Rebirth of Poland. (isap.sejm.gov.pl, 15 Dec 2008) Additional Info: NON-PARA COMPETITION She has competed in both Para and non-Para table tennis and has represented Poland at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. "When I started to compete in [non-Para] professional tournaments I would often hear people saying, 'What is she doing? Why does she want to play with non-Para athletes if she doesn't have a forearm?' It was painful, but it also gave me the motivation to prove I could do it. Because of that I have pushed the boundaries and it has driven me to work even harder on myself. Maybe someone will see me and realise that their own impairment is not the end of the world. Maybe someone will look at me and think they can achieve something bigger than they thought. If I'm an inspiration, I can't complain." (gala.pl, 18 Mar 2021; businessinsider.com, 02 Aug 2012) TOKYO DISAPPOINTMENT She won four consecutive gold medals in women's class 10 singles at the Paralympic Games from 2004 to 2016, but lost in the semifinals and had to settle for bronze at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. "Because of my ambition, I am bothered about that. I want to make up for it [at the 2024 Games in Paris]. It wasn't nice at first, after the semifinal defeat to [Australian player] Yang Qian. After all, I was undefeated [in class 10 singles at the Paralympic Games] for so long. There was disappointment, anger, sadness. However, it was not the first defeat in my life that I had to face, and I still had a team tournament to play [she won gold in the class 9-10 team event in Tokyo]. I had to collect myself quickly. Maybe it's actually good that it happened. I knew that such a moment would come sooner or later, someone had to finally beat me. I'm not a robot. I lost and it turned out that it was not the end of the world." (SportsDeskOnline, 29 Dec 2023; paralympic.org, 08 Jun 2022; sportowy24.pl, 17 Sep 2021) FOUNDATION In 2015 she set up the Natalia Partyka Foundation to support young athletes. "Everything started when the city of Gdansk did not grant me a scholarship. There was a media hype and many people decided to help me. I got a big amount of money and we did not know what to do, so we decided to create a foundation to support young athletes." (przegladsportowy.pl, 21 Jun 2017) FURTHER EDUCATION She has studied for a master's degree at the Higher School of Education in Sports in Warsaw, Poland. (Instagram profile, 23 Oct 2023)