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Sandra Paovic of Croatia winning gold medal in table tennis at the 2016 Paraolympic Games in Rio
Sandra Paović, para table tennis champion of the world in China 2015
Sandra Paović
LATEST TRIUMPHS:
2015 ITTF Para-Table Tennis European Championships – Gold: Singles Class 6 2014 ITTF Para-Table Tennis World Championships – Gold: Singles Class 6 2013 ITTF Para-Table Tennis European Championships – Gold: Singles Class 6
Sandra Paovic burst onto the para-table tennis scene in 2013 and quickly rose to the top in the women’s class 6. Holding European and World championship gold medals, Paovic is aiming to add her first Paralympic title at Rio 2016.
In her first year in para-table tennis, Paovic took home four international singles titles, including gold at the 2013 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Para-Table Tennis European Championships. Her winning streak extended in 2014, taking the podium at four more international events and claiming the world title. In 2015, she successfully retained her European crown.
Currently ranked No. 1 in the world in her class, Paovic has not dipped below No. 2 since joining the para-table tennis scene.
She was a member of the Croatian women’s table tennis team for eight World Championships, represented Croatia at the 2008 Olympic Games and entered the top 50 players in the world.
Paovic’s career in the able-bodied side was cut short on 30 January 2009, by a life threatening car accident en route to the airport in Paris following a match. She suffered a severe cervical spinal injury leaving her with limited use of her legs.
“What motivated me to come back to table tennis is the love that I have for table tennis and sport in general,” she said. “Many people were there for me on my way to success, but most important was that I believed in myself and that I never gave up.”
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