Wakefield's Lee York competes for Britain against world class para table tennis players

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Wakefield para table tennis star Lee York was part of the Great Britain squad that took on some of the best in the world in the Montenegro Para Championship in Podgorica.

The event saw a ​powerful team from China competing internationally for the first time since the Tokyo Paralympic Games and they provided tough competition for the more inexperienced British squad.

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Although they did not take any medals in the singles there were some promising performances and wins for Megan Shackleton and Pathway athletes Lee York, Theo Bishop and Shae Thakker.

In the men’s class four York was beaten 3-0 by Alexandre Delarque, the former European team gold medallist from France, but was then a 3-0 winner against promising teenager Andre Radulovic from Serbia, taking the match 13-10 in the third set on his fourth match point.

Wakefield's Lee York was part of a six-strong British squad at the Montenegro Para Championships in Podgoric. Picture courtesy of ITTFWakefield's Lee York was part of a six-strong British squad at the Montenegro Para Championships in Podgoric. Picture courtesy of ITTF
Wakefield's Lee York was part of a six-strong British squad at the Montenegro Para Championships in Podgoric. Picture courtesy of ITTF

He had his chances in the second set against Guo Xingyuan, but the former world champion and Tokyo team gold medallist from China edged it 12-10 and went on to take the match 3-0.

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The doubles events did see two medals for the British team, but in men’s class eight Wakefield’s York and Romain Simon lost their first match to Francisco Lopez Sayago and world team bronze medallist Roberto Rodriguez, from Spain 3-0.

They started well against Sebastian Vegsund and Iker Gonzalez, taking the first set, but the Norwegian/Spanish partnership went on to take the match 3-1. The British pair did not progress after a 3-0 loss to Tokyo team bronze medallists Boris Travnicek and Peter Mihalik, from Slovakia.

Lee and Croatia’s Marija Martinovic lost 3-0 to Paralympic gold medallists Feng Panfeng and Zhou Ying in mixed class seven and did not progress after a 3-0 loss to World bronze medallist Boris Travnicek, from Slovakia, and Thais Fraga Severo, from Brazil.