Former Croatian Olympic Table Tennis Star New European Para Champion

She was a former Croatian table tennis champion, representing Croatia at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing before a near fatal car accident in Paris in 2009 left her without the use of her legs, now 30-year-old Sandra Paović is back at the top of her beloved sport after being crowned the European Para Table Tennis champion on the weekend in Italy after beating Russian Raisa Čebinka in the final 3-1.

The accident, which kept Paović in hospital for months while doctors battled to save her life, ended her international playing career but not her spirits, as she defied doctors by returning to the sport she represented Croatia at for 12 years on the world stage. One of Paović’s main goals is to win gold at the Paralympics in Brazil in 2016.