With millions of eyes glued to the TV during the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Andrea McDonnell introduced thousands of Australians to the exciting, fast-paced world of Para-table tennis.
Despite an opening round loss to Faith Obazuaye (NGR), Andrea found her form with straight-sets victories over Stephanie Chan (CAN), Vaishnavi Sutar (IND) and Felicity Pickard (ENG), to win her first medal – a bronze – at a major international competition and the first medal by an Australian table tennis player at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Andrea, who grew up watching her parents compete in table tennis and played recreationally herself as an adult, could have never predicted the heights she would reach after a workplace accident in 1999.
She made her international debut in 2013 and achieved selection to her first Australian Paralympic Team in 2016. Andrea’s dreams of winning a Paralympic medal appeared to be on track when she reached the women’s team Classes 6-10 bronze medal match with Melissa Tapper at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, but victory against Alexandre Costa and Danielle Rauen (BRA) was always going to be a big ask.
Ultimately, just two games stood between Andrea and Melissa and the podium, but for Andrea, to play alongside Melissa, who at that Games became the first Australian to compete at an Olympics and a Paralympics in the same year, was a privilege in itself.
Andrea is now looking ahead to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, where she and Melissa will be aiming for a shot at gold.
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