Ian Seidenfeld was probably going to make his coach proud either way, but won bronze in the Paralympics table tennis men’s singles MS6, adding to his gold from Tokyo.
Seidenfeld’s father Mitchell coaches the Team USA’s Para Table Tennis Team and was an Olympian himself.
In fact, Ian’s doubles parter, 49-year-old Tahl Leibovitz, was Mitchell’s partner at 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta.
Ian and Tahl lost in the round of 32 earlier in Paris and Leibowitz lost in the round of 16 in singles.
In the semis, Seidenfeld played with an extension stick to counter Italy’s Matteo Parenzan’s short serves. Like his father and grandfather, the 4’ tall Ian has pseudoachondroplasia dwarfism, which inhibits bone growth.
The 23-year-old Lakeville, Minnesota, native was not even born when his father won gold in Barcelona in 1992 or silver in Atlanta, but it’s safe to say he was born with paddle in hand!
Officially, Ian says he started at age 2.
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Atta boy!