Ian Seidenfeld, 20, is an American para table tennis player. He earned a gold medal in the men’s table tennis singles C6 category at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, representing the United States.
Additionally, Ian qualified for the Paris Olympics in 2024 after winning a gold medal in the men’s singles C6 category at the 2023 Parapan American Games.
Ian Seidenfeld qualifies for the Paralympics 2024
Ian Seidenfeld, the defending gold medalist from the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, has qualified for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. He secured his spot after winning the gold medal in the Men’s Class 6 event at the 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile on November 18, 2023.
Seidenfeld, who stands at 4 feet tall, faced stiff competition from the home-country Chilean players. In the final match, he played against Ignacio Torres of Chile and was down 1-2 in the best-of-five games. However, Seidenfeld was able to come back and win the fourth and fifth games 11-9 and 13-11, respectively, to secure the gold medal.
Seidenfeld will now have the chance to defend his gold medal from the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in the 2024 Paris Games. He will be coached by his father, Mitch Seidenfeld, who is also a Paralympic gold medalist.
“I didn’t get a chance to win last time at the [Pan Am] Games, and I didn’t know how excited I’d be. I was planning on being pretty stoic, but it was so special.”
said Ian Seidenfeld.
Meet Ian Seidenfeld’s Family
Ian Seidenfeld was born on July 17, 2001, in Lakeville, Minnesota, USA. His home club is the Minnesota Table Tennis Federation, and his playing style is left-handed and shakehand. Seidenfeld’s father is Mitchell Seidenfeld, who is also a table tennis player.
Like his father, Ian has a condition called pseudoachondroplasia dwarfism, which affects bone growth and results in shorter limbs. Ian is 4 feet tall, while his father is 4 feet 2 inches. Ian’s late grandfather, Phil, also had the same condition and was slightly taller at 4 feet 6 inches, but he still managed to captain his high school tennis team and became a teaching pro.
Seidenfeld attended the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, graduating in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management. Besides table tennis, he also enjoys playing baseball, and his favorite athlete is Tim Duncan.
When Ian Seidenfeld start his Career?
He has been playing table tennis since the age of 6, which is a period of 11 years. Mitchell was the Class 8 World Champion in 1990 and a Paralympic Games gold medalist in 1992. At first, Mitchell just played with Ian occasionally, but as Ian improved, his father became his teacher and coach.
In 2017, Seidenfeld had a successful year, winning a gold medal in the Men’s Singles Class 6 category at the Bayreuth Open Championship. He also won a silver medal in the Men’s Team Class 6 category. That same year, he won a silver medal in the Men’s Singles Class 6 category at the Para Pan-American Championships.
The following year, in 2018, Seidenfeld reached the quarterfinals of the Para World Championships in the Men’s Singles Class 6 category.
In 2019, Seidenfeld continued his strong performance, winning the gold medal in the Men’s Singles Class 6 category at the Para Pan-American Games. He also won a silver medal in the Men’s Team 6-8 category.
Seidenfeld’s biggest achievement came in 2020 when he won the gold medal in the Men’s Singles Class 6 category at the Paralympic Games held in Tokyo. He also secured 9th place in the Men’s Team Class 9-10 category at the same event.
His Recent Years and the Olympics
In 2021, Seidenfeld had an impressive year, winning gold medals at the U.S. Open Para 6-8, U.S. Open Para 6 P/O, and U.S, and Open Para 6-10 Group 1 events. That same year, he participated in the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics as the youngest member of the USA table tennis national team. Seidenfeld was just two points away from winning the gold medal, which would have been the first for an American in table tennis at the Paralympics since 1996. However, he lost to the world number one, Peter Rosenmeier of Denmark, who had already won two gold medals.
You may also like: Who is Tahl Leibovitz, Paralympics Team USA Table Tennis Player?
In 2022, Seidenfeld continued to represent the United States in international competitions, showcasing his dedication to the sport. He participated in the World Championships, where he achieved a 5th place finish in both the Doubles Class 18 – Men and Singles Class 6 – Men events. Alongside his athletic pursuits, Seidenfeld was a junior at the University of Minnesota, majoring in finance and entrepreneurial management.
In 2023, Seidenfeld competed in the Para Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile, where he won a gold medal in the men’s singles Class 6 division. This achievement secured his qualification for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. In addition to his gold medal in the singles event, Seidenfeld also won a bronze medal in the men’s doubles event, further contributing to Team USA‘s success at the Para Pan Am Games.
