Laurens Devos
Personal information
NationalityBelgian
Born (2000-08-15) 15 August 2000
Malle, Belgium
Height165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Sport
Country Belgium
SportPara table tennis
DisabilityMild hemiplegia
Disability classC9
ClubSokah Hoboken
Coached byCarlo Agnello
Medal record
Para table tennis
Representing  Belgium
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place2016 Rio de JaneiroSingles class 9
Gold medal – first place2020 TokyoSingles class 9
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2018 LaskoSingles class 9
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2015 VejleSingles class 9
Gold medal – first place2015 VejleTeams class 9
Gold medal – first place2017 LaskoSingles class 9
Gold medal – first place2017 LaskoTeams class 9
Gold medal – first place2019 HelsingborgSingles class 9
Bronze medal – third place2019 HelsingborgTeams class 9

Laurens Devos (born 15 August 2000) is a Belgian table tennis player who was the Paralympic champion in men's singles class 9. He has also won four European titles and most recently, a world title for his country.

Laurens Devos lives in Oostmalle.[1][2] The son of Mario Devos and Christel, he has 2 brothers and a twin sister, Isabel. His 6 years older brother Robin Devos is as of 14 September 2016 the second-highest ranked able-bodied Belgian table tennis player, ranked number 119 on the World Ranking.[3]

Caused by a lack of oxygen at birth, Laurens suffers from mild hemiplegia which results in a loss of mobility on the right side of his body.[4][5] He plays left-handed. He studies at the Topsportschool in Leuven, where he is the only student with a disability.[6]

Sporting career

Laurens Devos was ranked world number 2 in his class before going to the Paralympics. In 2014 he won the GDF Suez Trophy (the award for most promising young Belgian para-athlete).[7] He won the 2015 European Championships in Vejle, Denmark.[1][2] He is national table tennis champion in his age category (able-bodied category).[5][6]

With his victory over Dutch Gerben Last in 3 straight sets, Devos became the youngest player ever to win table tennis gold at the Paralympics.[8]

At the 2016 ITTF Star Awards, Devos won Male Para Table Tennis Star, the award for Paralympic table tennis player of the year.[9]

Devos reached the first round of the 2016 World Junior Table Tennis Championships, but then lost 4-3 from the Austrian Andreas Levenko.[10]

On 17 December 2016, Devos was named the Paralympian of the Year at the Belgian Sportsman of the year ceremony.[11]

He won his first world championship title in 2018 in Lasko, Slovenia by defeating Iurii Nozdrunov of Russia.[12]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Matthyssen, Kristin (12 September 2016). "Familie Laurens Devos stomverbaasd over gouden plak: "Bangelijk!"". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Laurens Devos" (in Dutch). Sporza.be. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  3. ↑ "World Ranking". International Table Tennis Federation. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  4. ↑ "Laurens Devos, un ado en or". La Libre Belgique (in French). 12 September 2016.
  5. 1 2 Bernaers, Dieter (13 September 2016). "Mentaliteit wint van fysieke drempels". De Morgen (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  6. 1 2 Frans, Koen (13 September 2016). ""Laurens kan ook medailles winnen op de gewone Olympische Spelen"". Sport Planet (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  7. ↑ "Rolstoelatlete Marieke Vervoort laureate Nationale Trofee Victor Boin 2014". De Morgen. Belga. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  8. ↑ "Belgium's Laurens Devos makes table tennis history". Paralympic.org. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  9. ↑ "Laurens Devos wint internationale Star Award" (in Dutch). De Morgen. Belga. 8 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  10. ↑ "Cnudde naar tweede ronde in enkelspel op WK tafeltennis voor junioren, Loyen en Lung naar kwartfinales in dubbelspel" (in Dutch). Het Belang van Limburg. Belga. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  11. ↑ Belgian Paralympic Committee (19 December 2016). "Laurens Devos named Belgian Paralympian of the Year". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  12. ↑ "Newly crowned World champion, another quest starts Laurens Devos". ITTF.com. 23 October 2018.
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