Rebecca Julian
Member Profile: Rebecca Julian
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1. Date of Birth. |
2/12/1986 |
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2. Which club(s) have you played for in Croydon? |
Knox, Mooroolbark |
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3. How did you become involved with table tennis? |
My sports teacher at school suggested it to me so I went to a Saturday session and then decided to join CDTTA. Three years later I was asked by Fran Keyhoe if I would like to play in the Inaugural Athletes with a Disability National Championships because of this I was encouraged to participate in International events for Paralympic Table Tennis. |
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4. And at what age was this? |
13 |
| 5. Who was your coach(s)? | Trevor Brown & Frank Pearce |
| 6. What is your highest Australian Ranking? | No 1 Class 6 and No 1 Women’s Class 6 – 10 |
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7. What is your highest World Ranking? |
No 2 Class 6 |
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8. How many and which Paralympic Games did you participate in? |
3 - Beijing 2008, London 2012 & Tokyo 2020 |
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9. What advice would you give to an up-and-coming player/umpire? |
Never let anything stand in the way of achieving your goals. Anything is possible and achievable. Through hard work and determination you can achieve anything you set out to do. |
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10. Career Highlights |
International 3 x Paralympics - 2008, 2012, 2020 3 x World Para Championships – 2006, 2010, 2018 5th at 2020 Tokyo Paralympics Class 6 US Open Singles C6-7 Gold – 2007 ITTF Oceania Para Championships Singles C6-8 Gold – 2017 Arafura Games Singles C6-7 Gold – 2009 Arafura Games Doubles C6-10 Gold – 2009 Arafura Games Teams C6-10 Gold - 2011
National 5 x Aust Womens Singles C6-10 Champion – 2003, 2004, 2007 – 2009 2 x Aust Women’s Doubles C6-10 Champion – 2005, 2006 1 x Aust Mixed Doubles C6-10 Champion – 2007 4 x Aust Singles C6 Champion – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 1 x Aust Singles C6-7 Champion – 2012 2 x Aust Teams C6-7 Champion – 2010, 2012
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| 11. What do you do to prepare for a match? | I listen to music and do breathing exercises to help prepare my mind for the match I have ahead |
| 12. Are there any differences in preparation that you would take before a finals match compared to a preliminary round? If so, what would these be? | No. I try to treat every match the same. |
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13. Who has been your toughest opponent? |
Victorya Safanova from the Ukraine. She is the No 1 Class 6 and a good player |
| 14. Can you tell us about your favorite match that you have played? | It was in the first round of the Paralympics in China. I drew the number 1 seed, a functional class higher than myself, Kelly Van Zon. I took her to 5 games and felt I had played the best table tennis I ever have. |
| 15. Who is your favorite Table Tennis player? | Rainer Schmidt from Germany (Class 6). |
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16. Who has been the biggest influence and or inspiration throughout your sporting career? |
Both my parents, my Mum for taking me to my first training session at Croydon after a Parent / Teacher meeting at school. My Dad, Trevor, who has always been there supporting me and helping me in every aspect. Without him, I would not have achieved so much in the sport. |
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17. Who is your favorite non table tennis sportsperson and why? |
Cathy Freeman as she battled through adversity to be number one in her sport. |
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18. Occupation? |
Kindergarten Teacher |
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19. Player you played the most? |
Stephanie Grebe ( Germany, Class 6) |
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20. What path did you take and what sacrifices did you make to become the player you did? |
In order to achieve, I have had to sacrifice a lot. Because of my disability (Cerebral Palsy) I have faced many challenges. I am a very determined person and I have worked hard to accomplish my goals, giving up a lot in order to succeed and have had to balance my study and sporting commitments. |
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