Mizrachi to make history with Uniroos
VICTORIAN table tennis player Barak Mizrachi has been selected to represent Australia at the 27th Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia, in July, where he will become the first athlete with a disability to don the green and gold at the grand event.
VICTORIAN table tennis player Barak Mizrachi has been selected to represent Australia at the 27th Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia, in July, where he will become the first athlete with a disability to don the green and gold at the grand event.
The 25-year-old said he is excited to be able make his debut for the Uniroos at the tournament, which features over 9000 participants from more than 170 countries.
“It’s pretty exciting stuff, because it’s probably the highest profile event I’ve been selected for,” Mizrachi told The AJN.
“It’s a high standard event and it’s set up like the Olympics, where we stay in a village with everyone else, so I’m looking forward to that experience as well.”
The long-time Maccabi Table Tennis Club member was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth, which affects the right side of his body.
“The intention wasn’t to be groundbreaking … that was something extra,” said Mizrachi.
“Because my right leg is weaker than my left, it effects my movement, but I’m left-handed so that’s not an issue, it’s just a slight disadvantage in my mobility around the court.”
But he is confident he can travel to Russia and match it with the other athletes.
“Ideally, I want to go over there and win,” Mizrachi said.
“But realistically, I just want to go and play as well as I can, because there are some really good players there, some who are in the top 20 in the world.”
Mizrachi is a six-time gold medallist at the national tournament for athletes with a disability and has participated in two Pan-American Maccabi Games.
He is set for his third Maccabiah Games when he makes the trip straight from Kazan to Israel in July.
“You don’t often get these opportunities,” he said.
“In 2005 I was a junior and in 2009 I was an athlete, and now this year I will participate as a Paralympic athlete, so hopefully in 20 years time I’ll compete in the masters and do them all.”
Once he returns from Israel later in the year, Mizrachi has set his sights on the next Paralympic Games, set to take place in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
“When I get back from Israel, essentially I’ve got a year-and-a-half before the qualifying events start,” Mizrachi said.
“So I’m going to train up to that and hopefully I can make selection.”
Ashley Shenker
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