Lowri Hurd promoted to GB Performance Squad after debut season with three international medals

British Para table tennis is welcoming a remarkable new talent in Lowri Hurd. Only months after being classified into the women’s class 9 event, the 18-year-old won singles medals at three international tournaments in Spain, Slovenia and Thailand – a debut season that has exceeded all expectations. Hurd previously played in the able-bodied system. She has Myhre syndrome, a progressive multisystem disorder, and was placed in women’s class 9 after a classification assessment in Spain described as “very positive”. For her, the adaptation to Para table tennis is not only physical. Hurd describes it as “a completely different game” – slightly slower, but demanding far better ball placement. What catches the eye is that she has not been protected from tough competition. In major events, Hurd has regularly faced difficult draws, including against a top Chinese player and Brazil’s Danielle Rauen. She has even beaten Alexa Szvitacs, the reigning world and European champion. Alongside those wins, Hurd lost to Rauen in a fifth set and suffered several deciding-set defeats – a signal worth following, but still too small a sample to call a mental weakness. Her performances forced British Para Table Tennis (BPTT) to act quickly. Hurd was promoted from the Pathway Squad to the Performance Squad and now trains full-time at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield. Around the same time, she is starting university. Interim Performance Director Shaun Marples said she was “thrown in at the deep end” in her first season and responded in the best possible way. BPTT’s plans for Hurd go beyond singles. Her ability to deliver at international level immediately opens options in women’s doubles and mixed doubles, giving Great Britain more tactical flexibility in team events. With her technical foundation from able-bodied table tennis and a full-time training environment, Hurd is in a rare position to become a core member of the British team for the next Paralympic cycle.