Jenson Van Emburgh: Building for Tokyo

(By Steve Hopkins)

As 2017 concluded, Jenson Van Emburgh was already making waves as a Paralympic table tennis player with a ranking in the low 40s in his class.  The 33 screws and 2 metal rods in his spine did not keep Jenson, at that time just a High School Senior, from announcing his plans to eventually reach the World Championships and the 2020 Paralympics.

Fast forward two years and those waves have become a tidal wave of accomplishments.  2019 in particular was a great year for Jenson.  He pocketed a Silver Medal at the Para Pan Am Games in Lima, he broke the Top 10 in the World Rankings (currently No. 9 in Class 3), and he is the No. 1 Junior in the world under Age 23 in all wheelchair classes.

Jenson also landed Silver and Bronze medals at the China Open, has a 2035 USATT rating, and is training full time for a successful 2020 year. He was also awarded 2019 USA Para Wheelchair Athlete of the Year.

Jenson is currently in a qualification position for the Tokyo Paralympics this Summer.  The goal he stated in 2017 of reaching the Paralympics Games is almost a certainty – his updated goal: a Paralympic Medal for TeamUSA.

Check in at ButterflyOnline.com for table tennis news and results – including coverage of Jenson and our other Paralympic hopefuls as they build towards the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games which will be held August 25-September 6, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.