Viktor Didukh

Started: He began playing table tennis in 1992 at age five in Ukraine. (sport.24tv.ua, 30 Jan 2020; Athlete, 15 Oct 2015) Reason: His father inspired him to take up the sport. (Athlete, 15 Oct 2015) Milestones: At the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo he and compatriot Maxym Nikolenko became the first Ukrainian table tennis players to win three career Paralympic medals in the sport. In Tokyo they both finished on the podium in the men's class 8 singles event [Didukh winning silver and Nikolenko claiming bronze], while they were teammates for Ukraine's silver medal in the men's class 8 team event. They had also won a team gold medal [class 6-8] together in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. (SportsDeskOnline, 21 Jul 2024) Awards: He was named Male Para Star at the 2017 International Table Tennis Federation [ITTF] Star Awards. (ittf.com, 14 Dec 2017) He received the Order for Courage [third and second class, respectively] in Ukraine in recognition of his performances at the 2016 and 2020 editions of the Paralympic Games. (zakon.rada.gov.ua, 16 Sep 2021; president.gov.ua, 04 Oct 2016) He has received the titles of Honoured Coach and Master of Sport of International Class in Ukraine. (Athlete, 19 Apr 2021; dsmsu.gov.ua, 31 Dec 2020) Additional Info: ACADEMY He runs the Viktor Didukh Table Tennis Academy, which holds training camps for Para table tennis players in the Lviv region of Ukraine. "The idea was borrowed from China. There are many such academies there. I tried to get sponsors involved but never did. I did everything at my own expense. Everything that I won at the [2016] Paralympics, I invested in it. This is neither a business nor a social project. We work without budgetary support." (busk.rayon.in.ua, 29 Oct 2023; portal.lviv.ua, 10 Sep 2023; golossokal.com.ua, 12 Jan 2021; sport.24tv.ua, 30 Jan 2020) OTHER ACTIVITIES In 2023 he was elected vice president of the Lviv Regional Table Tennis Federation in Ukraine. (busk.rayon.in.ua, 29 Oct 2023) FURTHER EDUCATION He has completed a degree in management at the Lviv Polytechnic National University in Ukraine. (Athlete, 19 Apr 2021)

Sporting Relatives: His older brother Oleksandr Didukh represented Ukraine in table tennis at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (SportsDeskOnline, 29 Apr 2021; Athlete, 15 Oct 2015; news.sportbox.ru, 29 Jul 2012)