Miami Herald, 3 Aug 2012
Far away from the glare of TV cameras, at the ExCel table tennis hall Friday morning, was the equally compelling but lesser-known Natalia Partyka, a one-armed table tennis player from Poland. She was born without a right hand or forearm and is competing in her second Olympics after winning gold medals in the 2004 and 2008 Paralympics. She will also compete in the London Paralympics.
She reached the third round of the singles competition last week before losing to a Dutch player. On Friday, she played in the team competition against Singapore. Poland lost the match 3-1 (2-3, 3-0, 3-0, 3-0), but Partyka won a lot of hearts in the audience. The Polish fans in the building already knew Partyka, as she is very well-known back home. She received the Order of Polonia Restituta, one of the nation’s highest honors. Those who didn’t know her now do. Full story
Related:
Inspirational Partyka downplays disability - Reuters UK
Meet The Incredible One-Handed Olympic Table Tennis Player From Poland - Business Insider
