TABLE tennis player Rory Carroll continues to serve and drive for success as a top Australian para-athlete.<\/p>\n
Carroll will compete in next month\u2019s Table Tennis Australia National Para Championships at Sydney Olympic Park in the class 11 singles division for people with an intellectual disability, the class 11 doubles, and the men\u2019s doubles.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be able to represent Victoria and Australia in table tennis where the Olympics were held is something that\u2019s pretty special,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s extraordinary.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I look back on it, it will be pretty cool to say that I played in a venue where the Olympics were.\u201d<\/p>\n
Currently ranked second in Australia, and within the top 20 internationally, Carroll said he is confident in his form, and that he has been performing well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been playing in Ballarat three nights a week, and I\u2019ve been trying to get as much practice in as I can,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSam Von Einem is the bloke I\u2019m trying to catch, and he\u2019s quite a bit above my standard at the moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy goal for these games is to beat the players that I have beaten in the past from other states, maintain that level, and aim high.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to raise the bar. You never can be complacent.\u201d<\/p>\n
The nationals will follow Carroll\u2019s win at the 2023 Victorian Open in Croydon, where he beat Tokyo Paralympian Jake Ballestrino in the para singles.<\/p>\n
Mixing with the country\u2019s best, Carroll has a dream to reach the sport\u2019s pinnacle like his mates.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a tournament in Taiwan in October, and that\u2019s a qualification tournament for the Paris Paralympics,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I get selected, and go over there, I will be really, really keen. The prize, if I did well, would be to go to the 2024 Paralympics.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey only send one class 11 player, but I\u2019ll have a red-hot go at it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carroll has been playing for 20 years and is supported by the FedUni WestVic Academy of Sport.<\/p>\n
He said he continues to enjoy table tennis and can\u2019t imagine life without it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s part of my routine, and I\u2019ve made plenty of friends here and overseas,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll keep playing as well as I can and hope to get more good results.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TABLE tennis player Rory Carroll continues to serve and drive for success as a top Australian para-athlete. Carroll will compete in next month\u2019s Table Tennis Australia National Para Championships at Sydney Olympic Park in the class 11 singles division for people with an intellectual disability, the class 11 doubles, and the men\u2019s doubles. \u201cTo be […]<\/p>\n