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Ten-year-old Taylor Lewis is dreaming of competing in table tennis at the Paralympics – and is already showing he has the skills to succeed.

Taylor contracted meningococcal septicaemia when he was just eight months old and lost both his legs, and his fingers and thumbs.

He has had more than 90 operations in his short life but has battled through everything and is making great progress in table tennis since first joining the Draycott & Long Eaton club around 18 months ago.

He has been working with para athlete Simon Heaps, who himself is a double leg amputee as a result of diabetes, and Simon’s brother Nick.

And he’s even had Rolls Royce engineers working on designing prosthetics to help him hold a bat and to pick up the ball to serve.

We caught up with Taylor, his mum Terri and Simon at the Mark Bates Ltd National Championships. Watch the film below.

Simon said: “I think Taylor is an absolute inspiration to anybody of any age. I think that word is said very, very lightly, especially about people with disabilities. But this young man really is. He’s not only a lovely lad, but he’s a true inspiration to everybody.”

Been inspired to try table tennis? To find a place to play that suits you, visit the red button below.

Only 16 years old, Damian FLORO made a strong start on home soil at the 2025 European Under 21 Championships in Bratislava. Playing at Tipos Arena, the Slovakian, seeded 53rd, defied expectations by defeating croatia’s Ivan HENCL, the 29th seed.

“I felt a little pressure before the start because it’s not easy playing at home. It also takes time to adjust to the venue and its conditions. However, once the game started, I felt the ball well, found my rhythm, and that boosted my confidence,” said FLORO.

FLORO previously made his mark by finishing second at the Europe Youth Top 10 two years ago in the Under 15 category in Bucharest. Last year, he was part of the Slovakian Under 19 team that secured bronze at the European Youth Championships in Sweden after a semi-final loss to Germany. In the quarterfinals, Slovakia beat Croatia, with FLORO winning his match against HENCL.

“That win was very important to me today. Despite the ranking difference, I felt confident,” added FLORO.

When asked about his ambitions for the tournament, FLORO was optimistic:

“Now I think I have a good chance to get through the group stage, and hopefully the next round too. I know reaching the knockout phase is very ambitious—but why not?” he said with a smile.

The opening stage of the tournament features 48 players divided into 12 groups (Groups 1–12). The top two players from each group will advance to Stage 2, producing 24 qualifiers. Tomorrow, the eight top-seeded players will join them in the main draw.

Top seeds in the men’s event: Eduard ONESCU (Romania), Andre BERTELSMEIER (Germany), Flavien COTON (France), Iulian CHIRITA (Romania), Tiago ABIODUN (Portugal), Balazs LEI (Hungary), Andrei ISTRATE (Romania), Kas VAN OOST (Netherlands).

See the pictures by T. SEREDA here.

Follow the results here.

Police and security were on hand at the University of Washington to keep the peace as protesters gathered to oppose two women who were speaking about their beliefs on transgender women competing in female sports.

The event titled, “The Fight Is Far From Over,” featured Riley Gaines and Olivia Krolczyk, who advocate for female athletes and vocally oppose allowing transgender women to compete in women’s sports.

“This is not anti anyone. This is not anti-trans,” said Evan Flay, a girls’ coach who attended Tuesday’s event. “This is pro-woman. I’d go to war for any of my girls.”

Opponents of Gaines and Krolczyk gathered for a demonstration outside the event organized by the Students for a Democratic Society.

“All they are trying to do is use vulnerable people to leverage themselves up,” said protest organizer Kay, who asked KOMO to not include her last name. “That’s their entire push is to bully the most vulnerable society to give themselves power and attention. Keep transphobes off campus and keep trans people safe.”

The event kicked off around 6 p.m., and there were few disruptions prior to the event starting. Security and police controlled access to the venue.

After the event started, a number of protesters in “black bloc” – a tactic used by demonstrators to wear all black clothing and masks to cover faces – arrived and set up near police, who were at the entrance.

As attendees left the event, black bloc demonstrators followed people to their cars.

“Have you thought about slitting your (expletive) throat and letting your blood run in the streets?” one person in black bloc told an attendee who left the rally.

The demonstrators also followed another couple from the door of the event to their car while repeating that they should kill themselves and hoping they would die in a car crash on the way home.

Police escorted people leaving the event to their cars and stayed in between the demonstrators.

“They are violent. They are anti-free speech. We’re aware of the risks, but we can’t be silent,” said Carol Danseau, who attended Gaines’ event. “The only reason we are here is our rights have been trampled, and we are worried for our children and to stand up for civil rights. I’ve been very concerned about how gender ideology has been undermining the rights of women. The rights of LGBT. The rights of children to grow up without being maimed.”