Laurens Devos, European champion for the fifth time in a row
Table tennis player Laurens Devos won gold in the singles (Class 9) at the European Para Table Tennis Championships in Helsingborg, Sweden, extending his European reign.
After a hard-fought final, Laurens Devos overcame Spain's Ander Cepas, world number 1, winning 8-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-7. This victory gave the Belgian his fifth consecutive European Class 9 title.
"It was a tough match, but also a wonderful one with long rallies," the para-athlete from Flanders enthused after his victory. "At 9-9, one set all, I made a mistake which gave my opponent a set point, but I still managed to get through."
Florian Van Acker won the bronze medal in Class 11 (athletes with an intellectual impairment). He was also the reigning European champion, but had to relinquish his crown after losing to France's Lucas Créange.
What a fantastic performance!