This summer, Martin Perry made his Paralympic debut for ParalympicsGB at Paris 2024 in para table tennis, competing in the Singles and Doubles, where he reached the Quarter-Finals alongside Will Bayley. In June, Martin won Silver in the Singles and Doubles matches at the ITTF Czech Para Open in Ostrava, and also this year, he competed in numerous competitions including the ITTF Slovenia Para Open, winning Bronze in the Singles and Mixed Doubles events. Last year, Martin came away with two Bronze medals at the European Para Table Tennis Championships in Sheffield in September, and Martin won his first Singles major medal in 2022 at the World Championships. Martin is continuing competing in para table tennis, with a number of competitions leading up to the European Championships in Sweden during the summer of 2025. Chatting with Martin, he told us about making his ParalympicsGB debut at Paris 2024, competing at the European Championships in Sheffield last year and his para table tennis competitions so far including the 2022 World Championships.
You recently made your Paralympics debut; how did you feel when you found out you’d been selected to represent ParalympicsGB in para table tennis at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games?
When I found out I was selected I was overcome with joy. I remember going online to see the official document countless times a day just to make sure.
How was your experience in Paris, and what was it like staying in the athletes village?
Paris was amazing, I had the best time! My only disappointment was not returning home with a medal. The village was incredible, we were looked after so well. We had a gym, barber, supermarket, post office, you name it and we had it. It really was a village, it was a very cool experience. The beds weren’t that bad, yes, they really were made of cardboard, but I’ve slept in worse.
You reached the Quarter-Finals in the Doubles alongside Will Bayley, what did you enjoy most about competing with Will at the Paralympics and how did you prepare for the Doubles competition?
It was great playing alongside Will, he’s won everything in table tennis so he has so much experience to draw from. We prepared really well as a team, training together and doing video analysis on our opponents, it’s just a shame we couldn’t reach the medal stages because I thought we played great.
Having also competed in the Singles event, how different was this to compete in opposed to Doubles?
The singles was much the same experience albeit a little bit quieter, but not by much. In doubles we played against France so the arena was rocking but in singles it was just a tiny bit quieter.
How did you stay focused during the Paralympics, and what was it like being part of ParalympicsGB?
I found it quite easy to stay focused as you are surrounded by so many like-minded athletes and you are there for a job. Being a part of ParalympicsGB was an experience I’ll never forget. The team cohesion was incredible and the support staff went above and beyond to ensure we had every opportunity to perform at a world-class level.
For your final competition before making your Paralympic debut, you won Silver in both Singles and Doubles at the ITTF Czech Para Open in Ostrava in June, how was this?
Czech was good, it’s always nice winning medals especially going into a major championships.
Can you tell us about some of the other competitions you’ve been part of this year, which have included the ITTF Slovenian Para Open (winning Bronze in Singles and Mixed Doubles with Grace Williams) and the ITTF Para US Open (winning Silver in Singles and Bronze in Doubles with Aaron McKibbin)?
Slovenia is a great competition, it’s always the strongest tournament of the year outside of the majors so to win two medals there was great. Mixed doubles was a new experience for me as I think I’ve only ever played once before and table time in big competitions is always good.
What was it like winning two Bronze medals – one in the Singles event and one in Doubles with Aaron – at the 2023 European Para Table Tennis Championships in Sheffield last September and how was it competing at a major competition in front of a home crowd?
The Euros were awesome! To be able to play in front of not only a home crowd but my wife was lovely. Siobhain had never seen me compete on the international stage so that was a privilege. The two medals meant so much to me, every medal is important but a major medal at a home games is extra special and alongside Aaron I was able to secure a second.
How did you feel coming away with Bronze at your first Singles World Championships in 2022 and what are the World Championships like to compete at?
Behind competing at Paris 2024, that is my favourite tournament. Worlds was my first singles major medal and it meant so much to me, to be able to finish 3rd in the World Championships certainly was a special experience.
What are some of your favourite highlights from your table tennis career so far?
Definitely competing at the Paralympics in Paris is my most favourite highlight, closely followed by the Worlds in 2022. Outside of that, I loved my time in Japan in 2019 for the Japan Open. It is such a beautiful country and such friendly people.
Where does your love of table tennis come from and how did you get started in the sport?
My love for table tennis comes from just simply playing it. I first picked up a bat at a Scottish Disability Sport summer camp and I fell in love there and then. The speed, the diversity, the differences in every game just make it so much fun, which I love.
What does a typical training day look like for you?
A typical training day consists of a strength and conditioning session in the morning followed by two sessions of table tennis split between the afternoon and evening.
Do you have any favourite sports to watch, and were there any table tennis players you particularly enjoyed watching when starting out?
I love rugby and have a season ticket at Glasgow Warriors and attend almost all of the Scotland rugby games too. When I first started watching table tennis, my favourite athletes to watch were Zhang Jike and Jan-Ove Waldner.
Have you been given any advice over your time as a table tennis player so far that has stuck with you, and what advice would you give someone wanting to represent their country in table tennis?
The best advice I got was from Zoran Primorac when he told me it’s important to get over the losses quickly, learn from them but you have to move on. I would tell anyone aspiring to represent their country to really know what they want from the sport, listen to any and all advice and look for any opportunity to improve, but, most importantly, enjoy the process, enjoy the journey.
How do you like to spend your free time?
With my daughter Beira, she’s just the best!…and with my wife Siobhain, of course, haha.
Do you have any competitions coming up that you can tell us about or that you are targeting?
In the summer of 2025 we have the Euros in Sweden, which will be great, and along the way we’ll have a few international competitions to get up to speed and hopefully climb the world rankings along the way.
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