(Courtesy of ButterflyMag)
ASK A BUTTERFLY PRO ANYTHING! NATALIA PARTYKA

This edition of the Ask a Butterfly Pro Anything series features Paralympic table tennis sensation Natalia Partyka. Poland’s Natalia Partyka holds an incredible record of winning 4 consecutive Paralympic Table Tennis Gold Medals at 4 separate Paralympic games.

She claimed her first Gold in Athens in 2004 and her most recent in Rio in 2016 and aims to gain a 5th Gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games. In addition to her incredible Para success Natalia competes at the highest level of Olympic table tennis and has competed in 3 Olympic games, the first of which being the Beijing 2008 games. In London 2012 she was one of only two athletes competing in both the Paralympics and the Olympics. Natalia is currently ranked at world number 73 and has been as high as 48.

Last month we asked  Butterfly Instagram followers to send in their questions to Natalia. We have picked 20 of the best ones and these are her answers:

@mosesliu asks: Why did you choose to play table tennis?

“I have choose table tennis because my older sister Sandra played. She started playing first and then after a few months I just joined her.  Many years we have practised together at the same club.”

@Steven Thompson asks: Who inspired you to start playing table tennis?

“My sister. She played first so you know me as a younger sister I just wanted to do the same things as her 😉 Let’s say that I was following her”

@mhrcio asks: How good were you when you started table tennis? Were you talented from the start?

“Not so good…I couldn’t play at all. I learned step by step everything and every day improving a little.”

@thegaspro asks: How has Paralympic table tennis evolved over the years?

“I am really happy to see that every year Paralympic table tennis is becoming more professional and is treated more seriously all over the world. There are more players, on a higher level. They can really play well and you know there is the same passion, same goals and same emotions like in olympic tt- that’s the most important!”

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