Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Aust ends para-table tennis medal drought

Sam Von Einem has secured Australia's first Paralympic table tennis medal in more than three decades.

Table tennis rookie Sam Von Einem has snapped Australia's 32-year Paralympic medal drought in Rio.

The 21-year-old took silver in the men's class 11 after going down 3-2 against Florian van Acker from Belgium in a nail-biting final.

It was the nation's first medal in the sport since 1984.

The South Australian had never beaten his world No.1 opponent, and was disappointed to finish runner up again.

"(But) I've never run him that close before, so I'm really quite happy with that performance," Von Einem said.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

"I wanted to have a red-hot crack at gold, and feel like I've done that."

After winning two sets apiece, it came down to the wire in the fifth but Von Einem couldn't hold on.

The student from Adelaide said he put up a good fight in what was the highest achievement of his career.

Von Einem, who has an intellectual impairment, said he had been happy to keep a low profile at the Games, while teammate Melissa Tapper received more attention.

Tapper became the first Australian to compete at an Olympics and Paralympics in the same year.

"She's a great role model, and I definitely flew under the radar which helped," he said.

"I'm definitely looking forward to Tokyo, coming back bigger, better, stronger."


2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world