Laurens Devos’s Remarkable Journey to the Final in Table Tennis Class 9

Laurens Devos Advances to the Finals

Laurens Devos has secured his ticket to the finals of the men's singles para table tennis at the Paralympic Games in Paris, within class 9. On Saturday at Arena Paris Sud, Devos (24 years old) triumphed over the Spanish Ander Cepas in three close sets: 11-7, 11-8, 11-7. The match lasted 23 minutes.

As the reigning double Paralympic champion (gold at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021), he is already guaranteed a bronze medal, awarded to both semi-final losers. Devos will compete for the gold medal against either Frenchman Lucas Didier or Australian Ma Lin—whom he defeated in the Tokyo final three years ago. The final is set to start at 5:00 PM.

Double Competition

Devos has also participated in the doubles event (class 18) at these Paralympic Games. Alongside Marc Ledoux, he faced defeat in the quarter-finals against the Chinese pair Shuai Zhao and Hao Lian. At just 16 years old during the Rio 2016 Games, Laurens Devos became the youngest gold medalist in the history of table tennis at the Paralympic Games. The Antwerp native successfully defended his title five years later at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Devos suffers from hemiplegia, which restricts movement on the right side of his body. Class 9 in table tennis is designated for standing players with slight limitations in movement of one arm or leg, a moderate deficiency of an forearm, or absence of limbs.