Table tennis hotshot gutted to miss out on Games
after a table tennis event.
“I left in disbelief, I couldn’t quite believe it. Not the fact that I lost, but that the goal and dream of going to Tokyo was over.
“I packed my things into my rucksack, put it on my shoulder and, as soon as I turned on my heel, all the emotions of the last five years came out.
“In terms of my sporting career, it’s the biggest pain I have had.”
Perry, 27, is used to lifting gold medals, having picked up several wins around Europe before Covid-19 put a stop to much of the sporting world.
And he said, although it was his first competition in 18 months due to the pandemic, he was proud of how he played in Slovenia.
“I actually performed to a good standard,” he said. “I felt like I played quite well, but it just wasn’t enough to get over the line.”
Martin’s only chance of getting to Tokyo relies on being given a wildcard entry – and he’ll know by the end of the month.
However, he admits he’s not holding out much hope.
“There’s no way of knowing if I’ll get a wildcard,” he said. “They have vast and various reasons and it’s completely out of my control.
“If I get one then, that’s fantastic, but I’m not banking on it. I’m just focusing on what I can control.”
He said he’s had a lot of support from family, friends and supporters online which has helped soften the blow.
“I’ve had a lot of people giving me such tremendous support.
“It’s been amazing and very humbling to come home to a lot of messages from people from all walks of life, athletes from different sports.
“Win or lose, people do care which I really appreciate.
“It’s blown me away and to be honest it’s helped me come round from it a bit quicker.”
Martin is currently isolating at home with his wife Siobhan and will join his teammates in Sheffield soon to get back into training from Monday, June 21.
He said: “I moved out a bit before I went to Slovenia to make sure I didn’t catch anything that would mean I couldn’t go.
“I’ve been away a long time so coming home and spending time with my wife has been fantastic. “It puts it all into perspective.” Next on Martin’s agenda is the world championships, which take place next year.
“Everything stays the same,” said Martin. “I’ll get back to training and work hard and hope it pays off.
“It’s the old sporting cliché, I’ll hopefully learn from this to come back stronger.”
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