Returning Medalists Set to Compete at Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The nation’s top para table tennis athletes are set to represent the United States at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games from August 29 to September 7. Tahl Leibovitz, Ian Seidenfeld, and Jenson Van Emburgh are competing for the 225-member 2024 U.S. Paralympic Team. 

The U.S. Paralympic Table Tennis Team is ready to showcase its talent and determination on the global stage. Team USA will contend against some of the world’s best para athletes with strong opponents from Asian and European countries. The focus for Team USA will be on the Men’s Singles podiums across three classifications and one Men’s Doubles event, with Van Emburgh competing in Class 3, Seidenfeld in Class 6 and Leibovitz in Class 9.  Tahl Leibovitz and Ian Seidenfeld will team up for Men’s Doubles Class 18.

Each of the U.S. Team members solidified their qualification for the Paris 2024 Games by claiming class-specific gold in men’s singles during the Parapan American Games Santiago, Chile in November 2023. All three U.S. team members seek to return to the podium after securing two medals at Tokyo 2020 – one gold by Seidenfeld and one bronze by Van Emburgh. Leibovitz had previously won gold at the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta. 

Tahl Leibovitz maintains a seemingly endless career and will represent the U.S. proudly for the seventh time. Including Paris 2024, he's tied for the most Paralympic appearances with Oksana Masters (Para-cycling and Tatyana McFadden (track and field). The three-time Paralympic medalist won his first gold and bronze medals at Atlanta 1996 followed by another bronze at Athens 2004. Leibovitz carries a passion, hard work, and determination stemming from his past of adolescent homelessness. The NYU Alum balances his time prepping for intense competition with his unyielding devotion to assisting others as a social worker.

Ian Seidenfeld is seeking a repeat performance. As the reigning Tokyo 2020 Class 6 Singles gold medalist, he returns for his second Paralympic Games in Paris 2024. After qualifying for Paris while dominating the field in the 2023 Parapan American games, Seidenfeld continued to juggle his rigorous training and budding business career after graduating from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in the same year. Notably, after winning his first gold medal in Tokyo, he is continuing to write his own legacy in Paris with a chance to surpass his father and coach, Barcelona 1992 Paralympic gold medalist, Mitch Seidenfeld.

Jenson Van Emburgh returns to the Paralympics as the Class 3 Singles bronze medalist in Tokyo and will represent Team USA during the 2024 Summer Games. Van Emburgh is heading into Paris during the most successful year of his international career with four major tournament gold medals. Three 2024 ITTF Open Championships golds – Slovenia, Spain, and the U.S., the fourth being at the 2024 ITTF Montenegro Para Championships. As the son of professional tennis player Greg Van Emburgh, Jenson has lived up to his family’s expectations with his multitude of achievements since Tokyo. Since taking up the family mantle as an elite athlete, Jenson Van Embugh’s play is highlighted by his competitive drive that’s accompanied by an unwavering desire to overcome life’s adversities.

Leibovitz, Seidenfeld, and Van Emburgh have overcome immense challenges to reach this point, embodying the spirit of resilience and determination that defines the Paralympic movement. The team will look to utilize their experience and momentum leading into the games to accomplish further successes during their paralympic journey in France.

Para Table Tennis will be played at South Paris Arena 4. The competition schedule for Team USA starts with Men’s Doubles on Thursday, Aug. 29. Men’s Singles events will follow with Class 3 and Class 6 on Monday, Sept. 2, and continue with Class 9 on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

NBCU’s debut coverage for the Paralympic Games will include live para table tennis coverage along with all 22 Paralympic sports set to be streamed on Peacock throughout the event. Television coverage will be presented across NBC, USA Network, and CNBC.

Team USA fans can follow the 2024 U.S. Paralympic Table Tennis Team on www.usatt.org and across USA Table Tennis’s social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.