Table tennis champ celebrates 80th with gold

By Deborah Greenwood If you think octogenarians sit around watching TV all day, think again. East Fremantle table tennis player Gordon Lee, who just turned 80, is proof that seniors can play hard – and win. Last week Mr Lee won two golds, a silver and a bronze medal at the 2017 Australian Veterans Table Tennis Championship in Mandurah. The event, the largest table tennis competition in Australia, featured more than 400 national and international competitors. Mr Lee came out trumps in the over-80 division beating nine fellow ping-pong veterans. A champion of the sport in his teens, Mr Lee has more gold medals than he can count and even has a table set up in the foyer of his home. “I don’t feel the 80 years that I am,” Mr Lee said. “And I think in other players’ minds they think they are no more than 21 years old and that’s the way they play.” High Performance Director of Table Tennis Australia Sue Stevenson said table tennis was an inclusive sport that keeps senior players like Mr Lee coming back. “It can be played at home, school or at a club and is an indoor, low impact, fun game that can be enjoyed by individuals of any age or physical ability,” Ms Stevenson said. Mr Lee says that apart from being a great way to keep active, the sport requires strong hand-eye-coordination and techniques. But they are not the only benefits: Mr Lee has lost 12 kilos since getting back into sport in 2002 and said age should be no barrier. “It gets you out of your chair and you go somewhere – you meet friends and you socialise,” Mr Lee said. Perhaps a match of table tennis a day keeps the doctor away – Mr Lee says he feels as healthy as ever. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcEEKGOt2EQ]