Natalia Partyka

Natalia Dorota Partyka (born 27 July 1989)^[3] is a Polish para table tennis player. Born without a right hand and forearm, she participates in competitions for able-bodied athletes^[4] as well as in competitions for athletes with disabilities. Partyka reached the last 32 of the London 2012 Olympic women's table tennis.

Natalia Partyka
Personal information
Full name	Natalia Dorota Partyka
Nationality	Poland
Born	(1989-07-27) 27 July 1989 (age 35)[1] Gdańsk, Poland
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Highest ranking	1 (November 2018; Para) 48 (May 2010; Able-bodied[2])
Medal record Women's table tennis Representing  Poland Paralympic Games 2004 Athens Class 10 2008 Beijing Class 10 2012 London Class 10 2016 Rio de Janeiro Class 10 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team class 6–10 2020 Tokyo Team class 9–10 2008 Beijing Team class 6–10 2024 Paris Singles C10 2012 London Team class 6–10 2020 Tokyo Class 10 2024 Paris Doubles WD20 World Para Table Tennis Championships 2002 Taipei Singles class 10 2002 Taipei Teams class 10 2006 Montreux Open singles standing 2010 Gwangju Open singles standing 2010 Gwangju Singles class 10 2014 Beijing Singles class 10 2018 Lasko-Celje Singles class 10 2006 Montreux Singles class 10 2006 Montreux Teams class 9-10 2014 Beijing Teams class 9-10 2010 Gwangju Teams class 9-10 European Para Table Tennis Championships 1999 Piestany Teams class 10 2001 Frankfurt Teams class 10 2003 Zagreb Singles class 10 2003 Zagreb Teams class 10 2005 Gesolo Open singles standing 2005 Gesolo Singles class 10 2005 Gesolo Teams class 9-10 2007 Kranjska Gora Open singles standing 2007 Kranjska Gora Singles class 10 2007 Kranjska Gora Teams class 9-10 2009 Genoa Open singles standing 2009 Genoa Singles class 10 2009 Genoa Teams class 9-10 2011 Split Singles class 10 2015 Vejle Singles class 10 2015 Vejle Teams class 9-10 2017 Lasko Singles class 10 2001 Frankfurt Singles class 10 2003 Zagreb Open singles standing European Championships 2009 Stuttgart Team 2008 St. Petersburg Doubles European Games 2019 Minsk Team

Early life

Partyka began playing table tennis at the age of one to seven years. She won her first international table tennis medal in 1999 at the disabled World Championships. At the age of 11, when she competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, she became the world's youngest ever Paralympian. In 2004, she won a gold medal in the singles event and silver in the team event at the Athens Paralympics. Also in 2004, she won two gold medals at the International Table Tennis Federation's European Championships for Cadets, which was open to able-bodied competitors. In 2006, Partyka won three gold medals at the European Paralympic Championships, one gold and two silvers at the International Paralympic Committee's Table Tennis World Championships for Disabled, and a silver in the team event at the ITTF European Junior Championship. She also won two silver medals and one bronze at the 2007 edition of that competition. Also in 2007, Partyka won three gold medals at the European Paralympic Championships, and a bronze at the ITTF World Junior Teams Championships.^[5]

Olympics and Paralympics performance

Partyka competed for Poland both the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing – one of only two athletes to do so, the other being Natalie du Toit in swimming.^[5] They were her third Paralympic Games, and her first Olympics. Competing in class 10 at the Beijing Paralympics, she won gold by defeating China's Fan Lei by three sets to nil.^[6]

In 2008, she won a gold medal in the singles event and a silver in the team event at the Beijing Paralympics, repeating her Athens Paralympics result.

Partyka (center) at the Paralympic 2016

She competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. In the Olympics, she competed in women's singles table tennis.^[7] On 3 September 2012 Partyka defeated China's Qiang Yang 3–2 in the gold medal match to become Paralympic champion. On 8 September 2012 she won bronze in the women's team class 6–10, after defeating France 3–2.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics she competed in the women's team event and later won her fourth consecutive Paralympic singles gold medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics.^[8][9]

Awards and recognitions

For her sport achievements, Partyka received:
Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (5th class) in 2008
Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (4th class) in 2013

See also

• List of athletes who have competed in the Paralympics and Olympics
• Natalie du Toit
• Artur Partyka