Paul Drinkhall was the English number one for five years since October 2006 until Liam Pitchford leapfrogged him last month. Drinkhall, only 21 himself, has already won numerous national GPs and the Senior National Championships on more than one occasion. However, Drinkhall’s greatest achievements have come internationally with a Commonwealth Games silver medal and three golds at the Junior European Championships. He also came runner-up to Chen Chien-An at the World Junior Championships in Madrid, 2008.

Name:
Paul Drinkhall

Date of birth:
16 January 1990

Club:
Sterilgarda Castell Goffreddo, Italy

Who are you?
English no. 1

Hard working, chilled personality, dedicated and single minded.

Friendly, with a good sense of humour.

Proudest moment:
Winning silver team medal at commonwealth games.

Winning three golds (singles,doubles,mixed) Junior European Championships and not losing a game throughout.

When/how did you get involved with table tennis:
I was seven years old watching my granddad play at a local church hall – I started to play with my brother when the tables were free.

What do the Olympics mean to you?
It has always been my dream to be part of the Olympics and with it being on home soil, it will be a great honour to be able to represent my country and my sport in front of our home nation.

Social media:
Twitter, Facebook and my own website pauldrinkhall.com