Matteo Parenzan, a table tennis champion and student at the University of Trieste, will be competing for the second time in the most prestigious and evocative setting for a sportsman: the Paralympics in Paris, which kicks off today.

The Class 6 table tennis tournament will take place next week, but the Trieste student-athlete has already arrived in the French capital and Olympic venue to prepare in the best possible way. On 1st September, the draw will be made with the names of the 16 participating players, while the matches will start the following day: Matteo, the youngest competitor, will be the No. 3 seed.

Parenzan has just come back from a three-year period in which he consolidated his position at the top of the discipline, having become world champion in Granada in 2022 and European champion in Sheffield in 2023.

Living with a neuromuscular disease characterised by hypotonia and muscle weakness since birth, the young world champion first took hold of the bat as a child, beginning a journey that at 21 is already full of successes and has led him to be the flag-bearer of the Italian team in the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Games in 2021.

‘In the run-up to the Paralympics in Paris, I have committed myself not only to improving technically, but also to growing mentally and emotionally,’ says Parenzan, who combines his commitment to table tennis with his studies. 

Enrolled in the second year of Political Science and Administration, his university curriculum tries not to be outdone by his sporting one. Often travelling to international tournaments, Matteo always carries his gym bag with clothes and backpack with books. 

On an intercontinental trip that took him to Singapore for an exhibition tournament, he says he took advantage of the flight to study: ‘The exam session was coming up and I had two exams to prepare for,’ he says with a satisfied smile.

‘Life as a student and an athlete,’ continues Parenzan, ‘is a continuous challenge. I still have many sporting dreams to fulfil, and I try to apply the same determination to the goal of graduating. Determination is crucial, but so is serenity.’

The five-ring dream is about to begin, and the whole of UniTS is ready to cheer on its champion.