| 2015 ParaPan Am Games - Daily News |
The 2015 ParaPan American Games have come to Toronto and will fill the city with excitement and great competitions. Table Tennis will take part of the Games and we want to share the experience of our Athletes, Coaches, Officials and Supporters with you. Follow their stories and live their emotions. "Let the Games begin!"
August 12th 2015 - Asad Murtaza
Having Para PanAm Games at my hometown Toronto and staying two weeks at Lakeshore in Downtown was exciting and thrilling for me. The Athlete Village was provided with extra ordinary facilities like Dinning room having vatriety of foods. Gym, Swimming Pool, laundry, Open Air Projector Cinema, Arcade etc. We used to go to the Arcade where there were video games and indoor games like billiards, table tennis, basket ball, hand ball. It was very relaxing going to the Arcade after dinner and before going to the bed.
The Para Pan AM Opening ceremony was a unique and one of a kind experience that led the biggest ever Team Canada to cheers and applauds by hundreds of Canadians and others, photographs, autographs, handshakes and some questions. We felt so proud to be a part of Team Canada and prayed to win and bring laurels to the Country.
On 9th Aug, during my very first match, I played a very aggressive game against Chilean Player, won a game and remained dominant during the three games but lost in the fourth game. That was quarter final qualifying match and I could have controlled myself and played better but could not manage the Adrenaline Rush I had then. I really feel sorry about that as I couldn't proceed further to a medal winning match for Canada.
August 12th 2015 - Steven Dunn
So far the games have been very exciting! In singles I had a very difficult draw which included the eventual gold medalist as well as the bronze medalist however with that said I was happy with my play even though I was unable to advantage of my round. Today is the start of the team event which should be very enjoyable and exciting and I'm looking forward to building on the first few days and having a great results.
August 11th 2015 - Masoud Mojtahed
I am so grateful to represent Canada in Pan-American games at home. This is
my third Pan-American games I am representing Canada.
The atmosphere inside the stadium is great, we have a lot of support. I am very fortunate that my families and friends gathered from different part of country to support me and my teammates.
My goal was to win gold in single and team event. Unfortunately I had a unexpected lose in the early stage in single event and I was not able to advance for the first time in Pan-American games. I am looking forward to team event so I can recover my loss.
What made my day? My teammate Stephanie won the gold medal in single event, and she has the ticket to Rio to compete at the 2016 Paralympic Games.
August 11th 2015 - Ian Kent
Well bronze it was in singles...not the color I wanted but I was beaten by a superior player in that semi final match. Stephanie Chan captured Gold in Women's Class 7 winning her round robin of 5 and with it a berth in the Rio 2016 Paralympics!!! My deepest congratulations to my team mate Stephanie as she will go to her first Paralympic Games in Rio! Great job Stephanie! Next up Masoud Mojtahed and I will put our best foot forward in the team event opening against Argentina at 11:20am where we will deploy the "Spin to Win" duo and give it our all!
August 10th 2015 - Stephanie Chan
How does it feel to win the Games?
I'm really happy because I get to win this medal in Canada. I also have a lot of support from friends, but this has been a dream after 4 years of hard work so I'm really happy.
Did you expect it?
Since I had competed against some of my opponents in May, I knew i had a chance to compete against them here. After working on my techniques and being relax while I competed, I was very confident in winning the competition.
Do you realize that you are on your way to Rio?
I knew very early on so I have been planning for this competition. My first Para Pan Am was in Brazil, so I'm really happy to be able to compete in the Paralympic Games in Brazil. Next year's Paralympics may also be my last competition because I want to start coaching the elderly and people with a disability so more people can play table tennis.
Anything you have to share with your fans, supporters or family?
I want to thank my family and friends for their support for since I set a goal in 2007 to compete in the Paralympic Games within 10 years and my table tennis friends have trained with me and given a lot of encouragement. I'm also very thankful for my younger sister for her financial support as there is not a lot of funding for national team members to train and compete and I'm very thankful for her support. I would also like to thank the Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society for providing a space for me to park my car and train each day for 2-3 hours.
August 9th 2015 - Martin Pelletier
It's always a pleasure to represente Canada at the Parapanamerican Games!!!!
We arrived on august 2, and start to practice the day after that. Very good practicing and it felt very good after that. I started my competition on August 8th. The first match was a little bit hard because I was to tight and wasn't able to loop the ball like I usually do. The second day was a lot better but my opponent had long pips without sponge and give me hard time. I lost both on 0-3, but I was getting better every day.
In my spare time, I hit balls with the rest of the team to get them warm up, to make sure they're ready for their next match. Tomorrow, we start the team event against Mexico... It will be difficult but not impossible!!!! And the day after, we play Cuba!!!
August 8th 2015 - Curtis Caron and Mikhail Drozdowski
Mikhail: My favourite part of the games so far has been the opening ceremony . I loved walking into the stadium with the home crowd on my side. Today was also my first day of competition, even I did not have a victory today, I am very happy with the way I played as I can see improvements in all aspects of my game. I have enjoyed represent my country so far and I'm having a great time!!
Curtis: I am feeling great and excited being here and being part of the team. It really means a lot to me to compete here at the games and I am really enjoying the experience. I am amazed by how much the Canadian crowd reacts to the games and I am looking forward to playing tomorrow!
August 7th 2015 - Zedplin LAW
This is a very busy day for coaches. We have a jury meeting 9:30am in the morning. After going over the rules and regulations during the competition, we were given the draws of the competition. The Canadian team were separated into two teams for the training this morning. All of the wheelchair players played in the 9:30 session, and standing players the 10:30 session. Overall, everyone had a very good session and all the players are very excited for their matches.
We headed back to the village at 12:00 where we have our own little meeting to go over the schedule. Then everyone went back to their rooms to get ready for the opening ceremony. Exciting times ahead of us with the start of competition tomorrow.
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