Three years after pulling off an upset to win gold in his Paralympics debut, Jewish table tennis star Ian Seidenfeld, the nephew of St. Louisan and Jewish Family Services CEO Miriam Seidenfeld, earned a bronze medal in Paris on Thursday.

Seidenfeld, 23, won his round of 16 and quarterfinal matches this week in men’s table tennis singles MS6, both by a score of three games to none, before losing by the same score Thursday in the semifinal.

The Lakeville, Minn., native, who was born with Pseudoachondroplasia dwarfism, an inherited bone growth disorder, uses a paddle extension that helps him reach short serves. But in his semifinal match against Italy’s Matteo Parenzan, it was those short serves that foiled Seidenfeld’s chances.

“I’m a much better player than he is at almost every other shot,” Seidenfeld said after the match, according to Team USA. “So, I don’t need to improve my other shots as much as working on getting those short serves back. It doesn’t bring me joy to hit those shots or play against that. I really play table tennis to have fun.”

Seidenfeld’s Tokyo medal made him the first U.S. player to win gold in Paralympic table tennis since fellow Jewish player Tahl Leibovitz in 1996. Seidenfeld and Leibovitz played together in doubles last week but lost in the opening round. Leibovitz, 49, is competing in his seventh Paralympics.

Mitchell Seidenfeld, Ian’s father and himself a three-time Paralympian and four-time medalist, is a coach for the U.S. team. The younger Seidenfeld started playing table tennis at six years old and began competing internationally at 12. He won gold medals at the 2019 and 2023 Parapan American Games.

—
The post Jewish US table tennis star Ian Seidenfeld wins bronze at Paris Paralympics appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.