It's with great honor that I share with you all that I represented the USA at this inaugural ITTF sanctioned competition last week at Westchester Table Tennis Center in Pleasantville, NY, and I managed to win the bronze medal in singles competition and silver medal in doubles competition. Larry Hodges, my coach, was by my side during this fun and competitive competition.
For any of you EJ's here, I competed with my 9-ply Stellan Bengtsson Clipper Wood.
I had been training very hard these last several months, splitting time between ??? I represent in local and national competitions (Maryland Table Tennis Center) and the gym. I even survived HEART SURGERY this past May when I underwent an emergency surgery to burn my heart muscle in specific areas to stop atrial fibrillation. There were moments there in the hospital before my surgery that I wasn't sure if I'd survive to be able to compete at my first World Championships.
While I won silver and bronze, I feel that I also won the "true gold medal" which for me is the privilege of representing one's country as an athlete and also representing people worldwide with medical struggles, showing them that in spite of our struggles, we can still accomplish our dreams and it all starts with having a positive attitude.
Below are some links to a New York newspaper and USA Table Tennis feature articles that you are welcome to check out, along with some pics. Thank you all. :-)
https://www.theexaminernews.com/parkinsons-ping-pong-tourney-a-big-hit-in-pleasantville/" rel="nofollow - https://www.theexaminernews.com/parkinsons-ping-pong-tourney-a-big-hit-in-pleasantville/
https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Table-Tennis/Features/2019/October/15/A-Lifetime-of-Memories-Created-at-First-Ever-Parkinsons-World-Table-Tennis-Championships" rel="nofollow - https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Table-Tennis/Features/2019/October/15/A-Lifetime-of-Memories-Created-at-First-Ever-Parkinsons-World-Table-Tennis-Championships
------------- Hollywood Movie Actor - https://www.imdb.me/Navin-P-Kumar USA Para Table Tennis Player & 1st w/ Parkinson's Disease https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uHC9Bj64bg
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