1. Date of Birth.
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12th June 1979
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2. Which club(s) have you played for in Croydon?
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Cougars, Knox.
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3. How did you become involved with table tennis?
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Had a table at home, decided that I liked it and joined the Junior Competition at Croydon.
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4. And at what age was this?
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age 8
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5. Who was your coach(s)? |
Jim Pumpa & Alois Rosario
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6. What is your highest Australian Ranking? |
No.3 |
7. What is your highest World Ranking?
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No. 290 |
8. How many and which Olympic Games did you participate in?
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2004
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9. What advice would you give to an up-and-coming player/umpire?
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Think about the spin and creativity while playing, because that is what makes the game so interesting.
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10. Career Highlights
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National 3 times Junior boys singles champion. 3 times mens doubles champion. 95/96 Junior Player of the Year
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11. What do you do to prepare for a match? |
Mentally I would reflect on certain tactics that are useful against my opponent, give myself positive assetions to boost confidence, then prepare myself physically with a general warm-up and then on the table warm-up. |
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? |
In a finals round, I would have already played many previous matches, so there would be more mental preparation and less physical preparation. |
13. Who has been your toughest opponent?
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Simon Gerada, because we have played each other since we were under 13. We have had so many matches, all of which were fought out to the best of our abilities. There is a long history there. |
14. Can you tell us about your favorite match that you have played? |
I was playing the deciding match in a tournament final between Australia & Vietnam. Russell Lavale and Simon Gerada were on the bench supporting, along with Jurek Grycan our Australian Coach. I won the first set, lost the second and was down 17 - 19 in the final set. I was in Vietnam, with a few thousand spectators and thousands of television viewers. The crowd was going crazy every point I lost and were silent for each point I won. I came back to 19 all, then was down 19 - 20. I won the next 3 points to eventually win 22 - 20. The best part about the match was the struggle and closeness of the match, but also to do it against a crowd and to have the great support on the bench. |
15. Who is your favorite Table Tennis player? |
Jan-Ove Waldner |
16. Who has been the biggest influence and or inspiration throughout your sporting career?
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My coach Alois Rosario, both table tennis and character building.
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17. Who is your favorite non table tennis sportsperson and why?
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Michael Jordan. He is the complete player, has all the qualities of attack, defence, plays unselfishly or selfishly when required, is a great crunch-time player. Has an off-court charisma and personality that is ideal.
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18. Occupation?
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Neuroscientist |