Welsh Commonwealth Games Tennis Gold Medallist Takes His Merit To The Grave
Welsh Commonwealth Games Tennis Gold Medallist: Joshua Stacey has won Wales’ sixth gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and dedicates it to his late grandad. The athlete had previously won five medals at previous competitions, including an individual silver in the singles competition.
Stacey defeated Lin Ma in the final of the men’s classes 8-10 singles as Wales’ first Commonwealth Games para-table tennis champion. He won 25-23, 5-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-5 to secure an overall 3-2 victory against his Australian opponent, meaning he has become Wales’ first ever Commonwealth Games para table tennis champion.
With this victory, Stuart had to make an important phone call to his nan. He said: “I will probably call my nan. My grandpa passed away in April, so I made the victory for him.” Nana came all the way from the groups to watch Stuart compete in the semis of Wimbledon. It’s her first time ever watching him play there; what a milestone for Stuart.
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Stacey, 22, is thankful for Simon Oyler’s assistance and believes that without his help he would not be in the position he’s in now. With an emotional expression on his face, and thanks to Simon Oyler, he expressed how grateful he was and will continue to be.
Stacey got a physical reason for his inability to use his feet when he was 17 years old. Mat Kenny, who was studying at Lincoln Hall College and also coaching table tennis, noticed that Stacey was walking on his toes, which led him to believe there may be a physical reason for the lack of weight on Stacey’s feet.
Within six months of debuting internationally, Stacey represented Wales at the Commonwealth Games and took bronze in the men’s class 6-10 singles. In 2019, he took bronze in the men’s class 10 team event at the European Championships with Kim Daybell and Ashley Facey Thompson [and] after taking individual medals.
In the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, Stacey reached the quarter-finals in the men’s event before Partner Ashley and he were beaten by eventual champions China team.