Paul Drinkhall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paul Drinkhall
Personal information
Full name	Paul Andrew Drinkhall
Born	(1990-01-16) 16 January 1990 (age 35) Middlesbrough, England
Highest ranking	32 (September 2016)
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Weight	80 kg (13 st; 180 lb)
Medal record Men's table tennis Representing  England World Championships Bronze 2016 Kuala Lumpur Team World Cup Bronze 2018 London Team Commonwealth Games Gold 2014 Glasgow Mixed doubles Gold 2018 Gold Coast Doubles Gold 2022 Birmingham Doubles Silver 2010 Delhi Team Silver 2014 Glasgow Team Bronze 2010 Delhi Mixed doubles Bronze 2018 Gold Coast Team Bronze 2022 Birmingham Team

Paul Andrew Drinkhall, born on January 16, 1990, is a famous British table tennis player. He has won the English Championship many times. He took home the title in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, and most recently in 2024.

Paul Drinkhall's Early Career and Achievements

Paul Drinkhall at the ITTF World Tour 2017 German Open

Paul Drinkhall was born in Middlesbrough, England. His journey in table tennis began in 1997. He went to watch his grandfather, Ray, play in a local league. Paul quickly fell in love with the sport.

As a young player, Paul was very successful. He won many national championships for his age group. He even won titles in older age categories. People noticed his talent right away.

• In 2005, he was nominated for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award.
• In 2006, he finished second for the same award, just behind footballer Theo Walcott.
• He was nominated again in 2007 and once more came in second place.

In April 2008, Paul joined the German team TTC Indeland Jülich. Before that, he played for another German club called Goennern. In December 2008, he was the runner-up at the World Junior Table Tennis Championships in Madrid. He lost to Chen Chien-an in the final match. In 2010, Paul signed with the Belgian club Nodo TTC Ekeren.

At the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, he earned two medals. He won a silver medal with the Men's Team. He also won a bronze medal in the Mixed Doubles event.

Paul has been a National Champion in every age group he has played in. This includes Under 10, Under 11, Under 12, Under 14, Under 17, and Senior Men. In March 2007, he became the youngest player since Chester Barnes to win the English Senior Men's title. He beat Alex Perry 4-1 in Sheffield.

In September 2011, Paul moved to Italy. He joined the Sterilgarda club. This move helped him improve his game for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Paul's Olympic Journey in 2012

Paul Drinkhall earned a spot in the 2012 Olympic Games because London was the host city. In the singles event, he played very well.

• He beat Ibrahim Alhasan from Kuwait 4-0 in the first round.
• Next, he defeated Yang Zi from Singapore, who was ranked 52nd in the world.
• In the round of 32, Paul lost to Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov.

Life and Success After the 2012 Olympics

In 2012, Paul joined Werder Bremen's table tennis team. He returned to the table tennis Bundesliga. He had played for other German clubs before. Paul was part of the Werder Bremen team that won the Bundesliga that season.

Paul Drinkhall married Joanna Parker in August 2013. Joanna is also a professional table tennis player. She has won many English championships herself.

In April 2014, Paul made history. He became only the second English player, after Carl Prean, to win a tournament on the ITTF World Tour Open circuit. He won the Spanish Open. This was the first time a British player won a World Tour singles event in 18 years.

The next month, he helped the England men's team. They earned promotion to the top level of world table tennis. This happened at the World Team Championships in Japan.

In June 2014, Paul left Werder Bremen. He rejoined TTC Nodo for the 2014–15 season. He wanted more playing time. Werder Bremen said he would still train with them. Paul won the Belgian League with Nodo that same season.

Paul represented England at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. He won a silver medal in the team competition. Singapore took the gold, just like in 2010. Paul and Joanna Drinkhall then won a gold medal together. They won in the mixed doubles competition. They beat fellow English players Liam Pitchford and Tin-Tin Ho in the final.

In November 2014, Paul reached the final of the Russian Open. He beat several top-25 players, including top seed Dimitrij Ovtcharov. His great results on the ITTF World Tour helped him qualify for the Grand Finals in Bangkok. He was the first Englishman to compete there since 1996. His performance also moved him up to a new career high of No. 33 in the world rankings.

At the first European Games in Baku in June 2015, Paul was seeded 16th. He reached the semi-finals but lost to top seed Dimitrij Ovtcharov. He then lost the bronze medal match to Lei Kou.

In November 2015, Paul won the men's singles at the Aquece Rio International Tournament. This event was a test for the Rio Olympics.

In March 2016, Paul was part of the England team. With Liam Pitchford and Sam Walker, they won bronze medals at the World Team Championships in Malaysia. This was England's first medal at that level since 1983. It was also the first time a newly promoted team earned a medal at the event. In the same month, he won his fifth national men's singles title.

Paul represented Team GB in singles and team events at the Rio 2016 Olympics. He became only the third British player to reach the last 16 stage in singles. In the team event, with Liam Pitchford and Sam Walker, he helped GB beat France. They were then knocked out by China. After the 2016 Summer Olympics, Paul reached his highest world ranking of No. 32 in September.

In March 2017, Paul became the English Senior National Champion for the sixth time. He won 4-2 against Sam Walker in the final.

In February 2018, Paul was part of the England team that won bronze medals. They reached the semi-finals of the ITTF Team World Cup in London. The team included Liam Pitchford, Sam Walker, David McBeath, and Tom Jarvis.

At the Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2018, Paul won a gold medal. He won it in the men's doubles with Liam Pitchford. He was also part of the England team that won men's team bronze.

In 2019, Paul became the first English player to win two ITTF World Tour events. He won the Serbia Open.

In 2021, Paul qualified for the Tokyo Olympics at the last minute. This happened after another player, Samsonov, withdrew from the event.

At the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Paul and Liam Pitchford successfully defended their men's doubles title. Paul also reached the men's singles bronze medal play-off. He was beaten by Sathiyan Gnanasekaran from India. Paul, Pitchford, Sam Walker, and Tom Jarvis won bronze in the men's team event.

In 2024, he won his seventh men's singles title. He also won his 14th men's doubles title at the English National Table Tennis Championships. This event was held at the David Ross Sports Village in Nottingham.

In April 2025, Paul Drinkhall and Sam Walker won the Men's Doubles at WTT Feeder Manchester. They became the first English pair to win a WTT doubles title.

More Information

• List of England players at the World Team Table Tennis Championships