DRINKHALL Paul

Grip
Shakehand (ITTF, 02 Aug 2016)

Style of play
Attack (ITTF, 02 Aug 2016)

General
LATE REPLACEMENT
At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo he was added to the draw two weeks before the Games after the withdrawal of Belarus player Vladimir Samsonov through injury. He was the next eligible athlete on the world rankings. "Obviously, I'm very pleased and kind of surprised. It's a shame for Vladi that he's had to withdraw, he was going for his seventh Olympics and is a table tennis legend, so it's a shame that it's come to me like that, but it's good that I'm in a position where I'm next in line and I'm happy the BOA [British Olympic Association] okayed me to take that spot. I'm looking forward to the challenge and aiming to do better than last time in Rio [2016 Olympic Games]. I'm happy to be going to Tokyo to, hopefully, represent Britain well." (tabletennisengland.co.uk, 08 Jul 2021)

INFLUENTIAL CHINA TRIP
He went to the People's Republic of China at age 11 to learn how the nation's players approach the game. "It was a real life experience and it really helped my table tennis in terms of getting quicker and better. I had a Chinese coach shortly after that and I worked with him until I was 22 or 23. So I have always had a big Chinese influence in my game and it has certainly helped me." (rio2016.com, 19 Nov 2015)