PARIS, 7 Sep. (by EUROPA PRESS special correspondent Ramón Chamorro) –
Spanish player Ander Cepas concluded his participation in the Paris Paralympic Games on Saturday with a bronze medal in class 9 of table tennis after failing to surprise the big favourite, Belgian Laurens Devos, in the semi-finals.
The 20-year-old from Guipuzcoa, making his debut at an event of this level, was looking to pose problems for the gold medalist in Rio 2013 and Tokyo 2020, number one in his class, but this left him little room for manoeuvre and he was quickly defeated 3-0 (11-7, 11-8 and 11-7), in a match in which he almost always had the initiative.
The player from San Sebastian had been in charge of ‘saving the honour’ of Spanish Paralympic table tennis, which had contributed at least one medal since it began to inaugurate its medal table on the occasion of Barcelona’92 and now he will be one of those who will have to lead a generational change in this sport where many veterans are going to end their careers.
“I’m super happy to have been able to get my first medal and obviously now just after the match I may not have assimilated everything I’ve done these days, but I’ve always tried to give my best and although things haven’t turned out the way we wanted or as they could have, I’m super happy,” Cepas confessed after the match in statements provided by the Spanish Paralympic Committee.
The Basque recalled that “there are many teammates who are retiring” after these Games, such as Álvaro Valera and Jordi Morales, from whom he hopes to take over. “It has been an honour for me and I am very grateful for everything they have done for me, they have helped me and supported me whenever I needed it. Although they are not here accompanying me in the following tournaments, I am sure that they will continue to support me from their homes and I am extremely proud of that, especially of having shared and experienced so much with them,” he admitted.
“This has been a reward for everything I have done in recent years. And obviously this has been wonderful to continue working.
My family and people from the club came to support me, and then at the end of the match I realised that my friends had come as a surprise. I was trying to be so focused on the match that I hadn’t even realised they were there and in the end the joy was as equal as if it had been a win. Now I can also spend some time with them and spend some quality time,” he concluded.