Samuel Von Einem

Samuel "Sam" Von Einem (born 21 June 1995) is an Australian Paralympic table tennis player. Von Einem has represented Australia in table tennis since 2011. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, where he won silver medals in the Men's Class 11.[1] At Rio Paralympics, he became Australia's first male table tennis medalist since Terry Biggs won gold in 1984.[2]

Samuel von Einem
2016 Australian Paralympic team portrait
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born (1995-06-21) 21 June 1995
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportTable Tennis
Medal record
Table tennis
Representing  Australia
Paralympic Games
Silver medal – second place2016 RioMen's Singles Class 11
World Para Table Tennis Championships
Bronze medal – third place2018 Lasko-Celje Men's Singles Class 11

Personal

Von Einem was born on 21 June 1995 and is from Glengowrie, SA. Diagnosed with autism,[3] he started playing tennis when he was five years old. In 2003, his family moved to Abu Dhabi where the hot climate helped him find his new passion of playing table tennis indoors.[4] Von Einem has completed a Cert IV in Bookkeeping at TAFE SA – Adelaide City.[1]

Table tennis

Von Einem is a class 11 table tennis player, which means he competes in a division of players with an intellectual disability.[4] Von Einem began competing in table tennis in 2007 and made his first international debut in 2011 when he was selected to represent Australia at the World Junior Circuit event held in Dedeo, Guam. Aged, 16 Von Einem won a silver medal as part of the Under 18 Junior Team.[4][5] In 2015, Von Einem was confirmed as a class 11 athlete which made him eligible for international ranking points and the Paralympic Games. Not long after receiving this confirmation, Von Einem achieved a new career highlight where he competed in the men's singles at the Spanish Para Open in June 2015. Von Einem held off a strong French opponent to win gold in the Class 11.[6]

At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, he won the silver medal in the Men's Class 11. He lost to world number one Florian Van Acker 2-3 (8-11, 18–16, 13–11, 5–11, 8–11).[2]

At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, he won the silver medal in the Men's Class 11. He lost to Péter Pálos 2–3 (11–6, 7–11, 11–7, 6–11, 9–11).[7]

Other achievements include :

  • Winner of Class 11 singles at the 2013 Oceania Para Regionals[8][9]
  • Bronze medal in Class 11 singles at both the 2014 Hungary & Italian Para Open[9][10]
  • Silver medal in Class 11 teams with Rory Carroll at the 2014 Italian Para Open[9][10]
  • Open Singles and Class 11 Singles winner at the 2014 National AWD Championships[9]

He took home bronze in the Men's Class 11 at the 2018 Para Table Tennis World Championships in Lasko-Celje, Slovenia.

Von Einem trains at Woodville District Table Tennis Club and is coached by David Lowe.[9]

Recognition

He has won the Table Tennis Australia Para Athlete of the Year Award in 2014 and 2016.[9][11][12]

References
  1. "2016 Paralympic co-captain leads the way for 5-strong Para-table tennis team | Australian Paralympic Committee". Paralympic.org.au. 27 April 2016. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  2. "Samuel Von Einem". Rio Paralympics Official site. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  3. "Rio 2016 Olympics; Sam von Einem | Adelaide Now". Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  4. "Samuel Von Einem - Australian Paralympic Committee". Paralympic.org.au. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  5. "Medal Rush for Australian Para Team". Tabletennis.org.au. 27 July 2015. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  6. "Australia's Sam von Einem takes home Gold Spanish Para Open | Australian Paralympic Committee". Paralympic.org.au. 23 June 2015. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  7. "Samuel von Einem". Tokyo Paralympics Official Results. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  8. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "Sam Von Einem – Ranked 3rd in the World and 2014 Para Athlete of the Year Award! | Woodville District Table Tennis Club". Wdttc.org. 4 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  10. Michael PollockMarch 26, 2014, 5:30 a.m. (26 March 2014). "Table tennis: Carroll claims silver at Italian titles". The Courier. Retrieved 22 May 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. "Table Tennis Australia: Arthur Wilks Para Athlete of the Year Award". Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  12. "Von Einem named Table Tennis Para-athlete of the Year". Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 21 February 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
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