TODMORDEN teenager Megan Shackleton has taken a team bronze medal in the ITTF Para Table Tennis European Championships in Vejle, Denmark, the last major competition before next year’s Paralympic Games in Rio.
The 16-year-old partnered world championship silver medalist Sue Gilroy in the women’s class 4-5 team event and reached the semi-finals with wins over Israel and Germany.
The combined talent of class three world number one and Paralympic champion Anna-carin Ahlquist and three time class five European champion Ingela Lundback proved too strong in the semi-final, although Gilroy and Shackleton competed well in the doubles in a 3-1 loss before Ahlquist showed all her class in a 3-0 win over Gilroy to win the tie for Sweden 2-0 and take them into the final.
“I’m so happy to come away with a medal at my first major championships,” said Shackleton. “It means a lot to me - I always come out to tournaments hoping to win things. I’ve gained a lot of experience through the pressure of the situations I’m in and I think I’ve handled it quite well. I’ve just played with confidence - I’ve got nothing to lose and I’m really excited to take on everyone.
“I’m really enjoying it because I’ve never experienced anything like this and it is on a similar level to a Paralympics which is what I aim to do in the future.”
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