Patryk Chojnowski

Started: He took up the sport in 1999 while he was at school in Kleszczow, Poland. (patrykchojnowski.com.pl, 09 Sep 2023; Athlete, 14 Oct 2015) Reason: "My parents were sports teachers at my school. When I finished my classes I always had to wait for them for one hour, so instead of spending time in the common room, I began attending table tennis training that was held at that time." (LOTTO Superliga YouTube channel, 09 May 2020; Athlete, 14 Oct 2015) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 12 Sep 2023) Awards: He was named Player of the Year for the 2018/19 season of the Polish Superliga [non-Para table tennis]. (Instagram profile, 24 May 2019) In 2013 and 2017 he was presented with the Gold Cross of Merit by the president of Poland. (prezydent.pl, 03 Dec 2017; sejm.gov.pl, 01 Jan 2013) Additional Info: NON-PARA COMPETITION He has played non-Para table tennis at international level. In 2019 he decided to end his involvement with the Polish national non-Para team due to problems with his ankle, but he continued to play in non-Para competition in the Polish Superliga. "I gave up playing in the [non-Para] national team because I did not want to waste space for other players. It was likely that I would either retire or forfeit matches. Playing in the Superliga is less demanding. Two or three hours of training a day is enough for me to maintain the required level." (azs.pl, 19 May 2020; interia.pl, 18 Aug 2019) COACHING He has served as a coach at the AZS AWFiS Gdansk club in Poland. (azs.pl, 19 May 2020)