Stars to lead exhibit

Australian Commonwealth Games representatives Melissa Tapper and David Powell will lead table tennis clinics and exhibitions in Horsham tomorrow.

Tapper, a Commonwealth medallist in both able-bodied and parasport competition, and Powell, who made his Olympic Games debut at Rio in 2016, will be involved in events at Horsham Showground and Horsham Table Tennis Centre.

Table Tennis Victoria has organised the visit with Horsham Table Tennis Association, which has entered a new era by switching headquarters from a long-term base in Maydale Pavilion at the showground to Harriet Street in a former Italian club building.

The Horsham club is in the process of making the transition between centres so tomorrow’s activities will involve an exhibition by Tapper and Powell, including motivational discussion, at Maydale Pavilion from 4.30pm.

A free-of-charge junior coaching clinic will follow from 5.30pm to 6.30pm before activities shift to Horsham Table Tennis Centre.

From 7.30pm at the Harriet Street centre Tapper and Powell will again be involved in an exhibition and discussion from 8.30pm.

Members of the public will then join the visiting players for table tennis before supper.

Table Tennis Victoria is running clinics throughout regional Victoria to showcase the sport.

Tapper, 28, is from Hamilton and has forged a considerable reputation in the sport despite suffering a brachial plexus injury, resulting in Erb’s palsy.

After competing at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, she represented Australia at 2014 Commonwealth Games in elite nonparalympic competition and then again, at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in the para-sport competition, winning gold against Nigeria’s Faith Obazuaye.

In March 2016, she became the first Australian athlete to qualify for both the Summer Olympics and Summer Paralympics.

Powell, 27, from Melbourne represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Olympics in men’s singles and at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.