Jack set to represent Team GB
HALTON table tennis star Jack Hunter-Spivey is included in a squad of 14 British athletes, that will compete in the World Para Table Tennis Championships in Slovenia from October 17-20.
The 23-year-old class 5 athlete came agonisingly close to taking a medal at the European Championships last year, losing a five-set quarterfinal to the eventual champion Ali Ozturk. ●
He bounced back to win the US Open in December and has taken medals this year in Slovakia, Slovenia and most recently in the Czech Open when he lost in the final to the Norwegian former World and Paralympic champion Tommy Urhaug.
“Preparation has been going really well,” said Hunter-Spivey, who first played the game as a 10-year-old schoolboy at a youth club in Widnes.
“I got the silver medal at the Czech Open last month and I feel that I played quite well.
“I just want to crack on now and play my best table tennis like I know I can.
“At the last World Championships I was very young and I’m more experienced now.
“I’ve got another four years under my belt playing internationals so I just want to go out there and show what I can do.
“It was tough to lose such a close match in the quarter finals at the Europeans and be so close to taking a medal was hard but since then I’ve beaten Baus (current World champion Valentin Baus from Germany) and Tommy (Urhaug) in Vegas and I feel that I am now at the level where I can take medals at the major championships and go all the way.”