Ibrahim Hamadtou from Egypt has captivated fans worldwide with his remarkable display at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Hamadtou, who faced a life-altering train accident at the age of 10 resulting in the loss of both his arms, competes in table tennis, mastering the game by playing with the bat in his mouth.
Fans have been astonished by his skill in tossing the ball for serve using his foot and his ability to generate exceptional spin, despite the absence of his arms.
He faced South Korea’s Park Hong-ku in the Class 6 qualifiers on Wednesday, August 25 in Tokyo.
Class 6 is open to athletes with impairments to their arms and legs who can stand.
The 48-year-old put up a strong fight but was defeated by Park in straight sets, with a score of 11-6, 11-4, 11-9.
In a 2014 interview with CNN, Hamadtou shared his journey of how he started playing ping pong.
‘In our village, we could only play, at that time, table tennis and soccer – that’s why I played both,’ he said.
‘It was logical to play soccer first due to my case, then I played table tennis as a challenge.
‘It was quite difficult playing table tennis after the accident. I had to practice hard for three consecutive years on a daily basis. At the beginning, people were amazed and surprised seeing me playing.
‘They encouraged and supported me a lot and they were very proud of my willing, perseverance and determination.’
Watch the video below
Egypt’s Ibrahim Hamadtou lost his arms in an accident aged 10…
To improvise, he holds the table tennis bat in his mouth! 👏#Tokyo2020 #C4Paralympics
