Samuel Von Einem was an avid tennis player before relocating to Abu Dhabi, UAE in 2003. Due to the heat, his parents kept a table tennis table inside their house and he began playing table tennis instead.

He first represented Australia in 2011 at the ITTF Junior Circuit in Dededo, Guam, and in 2015 he became eligible for Paralympic Games qualification.

Making his Paralympic debut in Rio the following year, Samuel won Australia’s first medal in table tennis in Paralympic or Olympic competition since Terry Biggs’ gold in 1984. Coached by David Lowe, Sam defeated Frenchman Lucas Creange and South Korean competitors Byeongjun Son and Gi-Tae Kim to meet Belgian Florian Van Acker in the final. With a 3-2 result, he played incredibly well to take home silver.

At his second Paralympics at Tokyo 2020, the 26-year-old claimed the Men’s Singles class 11 para-table tennis silver medal, after losing a …

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Date of birth
21 June 1995
Sport
Para-table tennis
Past Paralympic Games

Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020

Impairment
Intellectual Impairment
How acquired
Congenital
Residence
Glengowrie, SA
Occupation
Student
Started competing
2007
Sport career highlights

Winning gold at the 2015 Spanish Para Open in Barcelona, Spain

Greatest sporting moments

Chelsea FC winning the 2012 UEFA Champions League

Heroes/role models

Roger Federer

Disciplines

  • Sport: Para-table tennis Discipline: Singles Classification: 11

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