Colin Judge battled hard against four-time Paralympic table tennis champion Feng Panfeng in the South Paris Arena on Monday afternoon, but ultimately couldn’t pull off what would have been a sensational upset.
The Dubliner was very competitive in the opening two sets of the round of 16 but world number one Panfeng used all his experience to see out the contest 3-0 (11-7, 11-8, 11-3).
“It was a really tough one, I gave it my all,” said Judge. “I thought I played really well in those first two sets but the third set just got away from me, he put me under enormous pressure. He’s not the world number one and the greatest ever in our sport for no reason.
“He’s been an idol of mine since I first started in table tennis aged 11 and to play with him on the biggest stage today is an experience I’ll never forget. This is the closest I’ve ever gotten to him and I’m proud of that.
Paralympics: Complete day-by-day guide to the Irish athletes in action in Paris
Italian sprinter Alessandro Ossola fails to qualify for final but has win with proposal on track
Paralympics: Colin Judge battles hard but fails to cause upset against Feng Panfeng in table tennis clash
‘We are always proud of each other’: Ireland’s MacCombe sisters celebrate strong showing in Paralympic triathlon
“I’ve never experienced anything like that before. I want to thank everyone who came over, I’m so happy that I had so many supporting me who gave me a lot of energy in important moments. I’m sorry I couldn’t give them a better result, but I really gave it my all.”
Elsewhere, Shauna Bocquet came sixth in her T54 1,500m heat at the Stade de France on Monday – but missed out on a place in the final by just eight tenths of a second.
The Galway athlete still has another event left at these Paralympic Games and will compete in the T54 100m heats on Wednesday.
“The race was very tactical but I expected that,” said Bocquet of her sixth-place finish in the 1,500m.
“I tried to stay on the outside and not get boxed in. It was a very tight pack and I just couldn’t get around them. In the end, it came down to the last 100m and the better athletes got over the line before me, I just couldn’t catch them. I’m looking forward to the next race now.”
Meanwhile, swimmer Deaten Registe produced a personal best to finish sixth in the final of the SB14 100m breaststroke at the La Défense Arena on Monday evening.
Registe had advanced from the heats as the eighth-fastest qualifier with a time of 1:08.49 in what is his maiden Paralympic Games, but he shaved more than half a second off that time with a strong swim in the final to deliver a PB of 1:07.82.
