MADRID, 5 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish paddler Jordi Morales is already “very eager” to begin his participation in the Adapted Table Tennis World Cup that Granada will host starting this Sunday, an appointment that he faces as “one more” despite having to defend his world title in class 7 and that “it is a very good opportunity to give a boost” to his sport.
“I’m fine, happy and looking forward to the competition starting now. The reception in Granada has been spectacular and they are organizing it in a divine way,” Morales stressed in an interview with Europa Press.
The World Cup is being held for the first time in Spain and for the Catalan “it is undoubtedly a very good opportunity to take advantage of and give a boost to table tennis, especially adapted table tennis, which is more unknown. The federation has been doing a spectacular job for a long time time for it to be a magnificent event and that we can all enjoy it and that Granada, Andalusia and the whole world of table tennis can be part of it”, he underlined.
In addition, he does not hide that it is also his “function” to be able to leave a legacy for young people, as his teammate José Manuel Ruiz said in the championship presentation. “We come to compete, but we also know that we have a function of being an example and a mirror so that many young people in the future can emulate our successes and have hope in their lives,” he commented.
“It is a very special World Cup because it is at home. I have been in table tennis for more than 20 years and you really experience it in a very special and different way. In addition, the fact of coming from a pandemic and being able to experience a first major championship in a more normal situation, without masks or protocols, is very pleasant and allows you to feel more athletic”, Jordi Morales stressed about the fact of competing at ‘home’.
The one from Esparraguera, number three in the ranking of class 7, does not feel “pressure” for having to defend the title either. “I face it as just another championship and totally different things can happen in each one. I face it more calmly because I am already champion and it is a brutal success that will accompany me all my life”, he pointed out.
“I still find myself with experiences that remind me of those days, so we are going to try to keep fighting and get where we can, and hopefully with more medals,” said the Spaniard, who has competed in six Paralympic Games.
In addition, this World Cup has the novelty that it is direct crosses from the beginning after eliminating the traditional group stage. “We’ll see how it goes, but without a doubt there’s a lot more pressure because we’re not used to a direct ‘k.o’ system and from a psychological point of view it’s going to be tough. Anyway, we’re already used to this pressure and more than a problem is something that helps us and it is a challenge, so we are delighted with this new system,” he stressed.
Morales also celebrates having been able to “make a normal preparation as before” to face the championship. “We have been able to train as much as we wanted and being able to use all the sports facilities. Before we were excessively concerned about certain protocols and now we have been able to focus on table tennis and not on other issues,” he warned.
Morales also aspires to a medal in the doubles modality together with Álvaro Valera, with whom he won bronze in Tokyo 2020 and silver in London 2012. “For us it is a new challenge. I see Álvaro with the hope of having a good championship and with the illusion of competing again and meeting the best”, he indicated.
Finally, the current world champion praised the good work that is being done with adapted table tennis in Spain and with the launch of a Paralympic Promises team. “We have the advantage of being a very inclusive sport, there used to be people with disabilities, but a specific project for young people was missing,” he pointed out.
“A few years ago a magnificent project of promises began and now it is beginning to bear fruit because the first classified are already in this World Cup. It will be easy. The federation is working with a very high volume of athletes, with a lot of demand and who now have the opportunity to travel to many championships, which we did not have. Resources and desire will not be lacking, “he said.
