Tom Matthews
Aberdare Tom Matthews
AberdareBiography
Tom was a promising mountain biker when he had a fall while out riding with his uncle and a friend in March 2009, which left him a wheelchair user at the age of 16.
While undergoing rehab in Rookwood Hospital he was encouraged to try table tennis by Jim Munkley from Disability Sport Wales and after leaving hospital he played table tennis with the Welsh squad for several months before taking a break from the sport, returning to the Welsh squad in March 2013.
Tom made his international debut at the Hungarian Open that month and won his first major medals at the European Championships in 2015, taking bronze in the men’s class 1 singles and gold in the team event.
Having missed out on qualification for Rio due to a broken leg he returned to win the US Open in 2016 and went on to take silver in the 2017 European Championships – losing to fellow Welshman Rob Davies in the final – and bronze in the World Championships in 2018.
He made his Paralympic debut in Tokyo, winning a bronze medal in the men’s class 1 singles.
Major appearances and career highlights
| Paralympic Games | Tokyo | 2021 | Men’s Class 1 Singles bronze |
| World Championships | Slovenia | 2018 | Men’s Class 1 Singles bronze |
| European Championships | Slovenia | 2017 | Men’s Class 1 Singles silver |
| World Team Championships | Slovakia | 2017 | Men’s Class 1 bronze |
| European Championships | Denmark | 2015 | Men’s Class 1 Team gold; Men’s Class 1 Singles bronze |
Latest News
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Tom Matthews & Megan Shackleton relish being back in front of a crowd
‘Best friends’ Tom Matthews and Megan Shackleton have already had an individual Paralympics podium moment – now they are aiming to repeat the experience in front of fans.
Will Bayley and Rob Davies head 11-strong GB contingent for Paralympics
Paralympic gold medallists Will Bayley and Rob Davies are included in a team of 11 athletes that will represent ParalympicsGB in the table tennis events at Paris 2024.