Ask Josh Stacey what his target is at the Paris Paralympics and his answer is simple.
“Three medals,” says the 24-year-old from Cardiff, who competes in the Men’s Class 9 Singles, Men’s Class 18 Doubles (with Aaron McKibbin) and Mixed Class 17 Doubles (with Bly Twomey).
“It’s the first time I think three medals have been available to anyone, with the introduction of doubles. And, yeah, that’s my goal.”
The Commonwealth Games gold medallist from Birmingham 2022, Stacey is competing at his second Paralympics, having reached the quarter-finals in Tokyo in both the singles and the team event, alongside Ashley Facey.
He sees chances to get his first Paralympic medal in all three competitions he’s competing in, though on paper his best chance is in the Men’s Doubles, where he and McKibbin are third seeds.
“Obviously playing with Bly, she’s only 14, and definitely an up-and-comer, but I think we can beat anyone on our day, definitely – me and Bly, and me and Aaron.
“And then in the singles, I think over the past couple years I’ve shown that I’m right up there with the best and I’m hoping to show that in Paris.
“I think in general singles table tennis will help your doubles table tennis, just in the simple fact that you’re still hitting a white ball over the net.
“There’s obviously certain things that you need to tighten up and that you might not necessarily do within the singles, like, for example, I’m a higher class than both Aaron and Bly, so I need to make sure that I’m not putting them in situations which becomes a lot more difficult for them.
“So I’m trying to accommodate them with what I’m playing and then vice versa. I think me, Aaron and Bly have all got a good understanding of what we both need to bring the best out of each other and I think it’s going well.”
Stacey won’t have immediate family in Paris but is still relishing the ‘full-on’ Paralympic experience after the restrictions of Tokyo.
“I think it just sort of opens your eyes to . . . it’s a bigger experience than another major like a Europeans or World Championships,” he said.
“Just experiencing going into a food hall, for example, and all you can see is other athletes in the same position as you are trying to prepare for their best performance come game day. It’s nice to just speak to other athletes – sometimes you don’t even know what sport they’re doing until you ask five minutes after you start a conversation. It’s just a bigger and better experience.”
And whether or not he meets his medal target, his focus will soon shift to the next challenges, including four years’ time in Los Angeles.
“Every tournament we play, even a Paralympics, that’s not your end goal,” he said. “We’re all competitors, we all want to win, and as soon as the Games finish my focus will then shift to the Europeans, which is next year.
“I always want to win and, as long as I’m competing, which is going to be a while after LA at least, I’ll definitely have whatever is next in the back of my mind.”