KALEM Mohamed

Classification
TT9 (ipttc.org, 01 Aug 2021)

Type of Impairment
Leg length difference (Athlete, 17 May 2016)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (Athlete, 17 May 2016)

Impairment Details
He was born with a malformation of bone and muscle in his left leg. (comitatoparalimpico.it, 01 Jan 2018)

General
REPRESENTING ITALY
Born in Tunisia, he moved to Italy at age 22 in search of better opportunities. After marrying his wife Cinzia, he was able to receive Italian citizenship, and chose to represent Italy internationally. "If I had chosen to represent Tunisia I might not have won a Paralympic medal at 34 [in 2016]. At 14 they told me that I had a chance of playing for my country [Tunisia], as I was already good enough. But then they told me that I had not been admitted to the Paralympic team. It was a disappointment, a bad blow. At 22 I moved to Italy. I looked for and found a table tennis team. I later received a call from the Italian Paralympic table tennis team, as they had noticed me because I had won important matches. I didn't know exactly how long I would have to wait for the bureaucratic process [to receive Italian citizenship]. It has been great to play for Italy." (abilitychannel.tv, 01 Jan 2017; oasport.it, 12 Sep 2016; azzurridigloria.com, 23 Dec 2017)

RIO JOY
He initially failed to make the Italian team for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, but was then included as a late call-up before going on to win bronze in Rio. "I was ranked 16th and when they only took the top 15, it was a very difficult time. Still, my coach told me not to give up. The Italian federation then called me and told me I was going to Rio. It was the best day of my life. In the bronze medal match, I played aware of how much I had achieved already. I thought about the moment they told me I was going to the Paralympic Games. It was great motivation." (azzurridigloria.com, 23 Dec 2017)