Joel Coughlan

Joel Coughlan (born 13 July 1988) is an Australian Paralympic table tennis player.

Joel Coughlan
Joel Coughlan in 2019
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born (1988-07-13) 13 July 1988
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportTable Tennis
Medal record
Men's para table tennis
Representing  Australia
Paralympic Games
Silver medal – second place2020 TokyoTeam C9–10

He represented Australia at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.[1] He and his teammates Ma Lin and Nathan Pellissier won silver after Australia was defeated by China in the Men's team - class 9-10 gold medal final.[1]

Personal

Coughlan was born on 13 July 1988.[2] In 2007, he had a workplace accident in industrial workshop in Rockhampton. Half a tonne of mining equipment fell from a forklift and resulted in him having 3½ toes on his right foot amputated.[3] This led to "19 operations, endless physiotherapy treatment, skin grafting, renal dialysis and a tendon transfer, not to mention suffered a lot of pain".[3] In 2021, he lives in Norman Gardens, Rockhampton and works as a Sales and Service Manager.

Table tennis

Coughlan is classified as C10 table tennis player. Prior to his accident, he was a professional table tennis player.[3] He made his international debut at the 2009 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Para-table Tennis Asia and Oceania Championships in Amman, Jordan.[2] At the 2011 ITTF Para-table Tennis Asia and Oceania Championships in Hong Kong, he defeated the world No. 3 in the men's singles Class 10. He narrowly missed selection to the Australian Paralympic Team for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.[2]

At the 2019 Oceania Para Table Tennis Championships, Darwin, he won the gold medal in the Men's Singles Class 6-10 and gold medal with Nathan Pellissier in the Class 6-10 Teams.[4]

2020 Summer Paralympics

Coughlan was selected to represent Australia in the 2020 Summer Paralympics, held in Tokyo in 2021.[5]

In the opening match of the Men's individual - class 10 event, Coughlan competed against Filip Radovic from Montenegro where he was defeated in a four-game match, three of which were decided by narrow margins.[6] However, he secured a maiden win in the second match against Alabi Olabiyi Olufemi from Nigeria which allowed him to play unsuccessfully against Lian Hao for a spot in the quarter-final.[7]

In the Men's team - class 9-10 event, Australia won silver after Coughlan and teammate Ma Lin were defeated 2-0 by China's duo of Lian Hao and Yi Qing Zhao in the gold medal final.[1][8]

After his efforts in Tokyo, Coughlan was recognised as the Rockhampton Region's Sportsperson of the Year at the local Australia Day Awards held at Kershaw Gardens in Rockhampton on 26 January 2022.[9][10]

References
  1. Clarke, Allan (10 September 2021). "Couglan clutches silver". CQ Today. Star News Group. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  2. "Joel Coughlan". Paralympics Australia. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  3. "Sport star sues after losing toes". The Courier Mail. 20 April 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  4. Gillen, Nancy (7 May 2019). "Australia dominate home Oceania Para Table Tennis Championships". Inside The Games. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  5. "Para-Table Tennis Squad's Tokyo Build-Up A 'Brilliant Example Of Teamwork'". Paralympics Australia. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  6. Wadwell, Amy (26 August 2021). "Big wins on opening day of Para-table tennis in Tokyo". Paralympics Australia. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  7. Wadwell, Amy (27 August 2021). "Ma, Lei And Julian All Advance To Knock-Out Stages". Paralympics Australia. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  8. Ryan, Lauren (3 September 2021). "Silver Linings Round Out Para-Table Tennis Team's Best Games". Paralympics Australia. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  9. McKay, Pam; Offord, Geordi (26 January 2022). "Joel Coughlan named Rockhampton Regional Council's Sportsperson of the Year". The Morning Bulletin. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  10. "Locals recognised for their contributions to the Rockhampton Region". Latest News. Rockhampton Regional Council. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
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