(by Steve Hopkins)
Jenson Van Emburgh continued his international campaign with a pair of strong results at ITTF World Para Challenger events in São Paulo, Brazil and Laško, Slovenia. Both events featured world-class competitors, and Van Emburgh finished with a tournament victory, a runner-up finish, and some hard-fought quarterfinal appearances.
The trip began in Brazil where Van Emburgh finished first at the ITTF World Para Challenger Sao Paulo. The victory was an important milestone, and he demonstrated his ability to perform under challenging circumstances despite preparations leading into the event not being ideal.
Carrying that confidence into Slovenia, Van Emburgh delivered another impressive performance by advancing to the Final of the ITTF World Para Challenger Laško, where he faced five-time Paralympic gold medalist Feng PanFeng of China. Although he finished runner-up, the tournament provided valuable experience and further confidence competing against one of the sport’s most accomplished athletes.
In a second event in Laško, Jenson’s run ended in the quarterfinals after a narrow and highly competitive battle against Paris 2024 Paralympic bronze medalist Glinbanchuen of Thailand.
Reflecting on the trip, he has remained positive about both the results and the progress made throughout the events.
“Overall, I’m really happy with how I fought and with my performances across all three competitions,” Van Emburgh said. “My preparation beforehand wasn’t ideal, so to come away with these results gives me a lot of confidence and shows that the work is moving in the right direction.”
“I feel incredibly grateful and blessed to be healthy, back competing, and able to do what I love while representing my country on the international stage,” he said. “Slovenia especially gave me a lot to learn from. I’m taking all the positives from the trip and turning the negatives into motivation.”
With the international stretch complete, Jenson now returns to training with a clear focus on continued development.
“I’m more motivated than ever to get back training, improve as a player, and bring some new things into my game,” He also added. “There’s a lot to build on from these tournaments and I’m excited for what’s ahead.”
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