Paisley table tennis ace Martin Perry is aiming to put his Tokyo Paralympic heartbreak behind him by booking a trip to Paris.
The talented 28-year-old produced the performance of his life at the World Championships late last year, transforming his wildcard entry into a bronze medal at the showpiece event in Spain.
That incredible win launched him into the top 10 in the men’s class six rankings, giving the experienced player a serious confidence boost in the process.
And having missed out on the Tokyo Paralympics last year after failing to claim a space through a World qualification tournament in Slovenia, Perry is now desperate to ensure he makes it to the Paralympic Games for the first time when they take place in France next year.
He told Renfrewshire Live Sport: “I went to the World Championships with something to prove and that performance was definitely a stepping stone for me to hopefully go on and do even better things in the future.
“There is always pressure to qualify and that hasn’t changed. We don’t know the criteria yet – I’m number 10 in the world but as far as I know that may not be good enough to qualify. So, we have to take every match as it comes and not take anything for granted.
“I don’t want to be content with 10 in the world – I want to be higher.
“The World Championships has definitely given me confidence and self-belief but I want to improve and win more medals and of course I want to be representing ParalympicsGB in Paris.”
Perry is hoping to get his 2022 season off to a strong start when he travels to play in The Lignano Masters Para Open in Italy next week.
The event marks the start of the Paralympic qualification cycle and Perry knows there will be no easy games this year with every player fighting to nail down a spot in Paris.
Perry added: “The Paralympics is the goal and hopefully I can get off to a good start in Italy.
“Training has been good and I’m really looking forward to playing in Lignano.
“I feel I’ve improved and hopefully I can show that on the table.
“Ultimately, there are not going to be any easy matches this year because of what it means to everyone trying to qualify for Paris.”
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