They say you can't keep a good man down. That being the case, Ibrahim Hamato is a great man by any measure. Hamato, 46, has for many years represented his native Egypt in table tennis. This already impressive distinction transcends into the realm of the incredible when one first sees Hamato play. A double amputee, he lost both his arms in a train accident when he was 10 years old. He plays holding the paddle in his mouth, tossing the ball in the air with his bare foot to serve. Like any professional table tennis player, he puts his whole body into his attacking shots. Hamato, however, generates topspin with a whip-like follow through of his head. "In our village, we could only play, at that time, table tennis and soccer that's why I played both," recalls Hamato. "It was logic to play soccer first due to my case; then I played table tennis as a challenge." Hamato has more than risen to the challenge, winning the 2011 and 2013 African Championships in men's Class 6 para table tennis. He also flew the Egyptian flag in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio. Hamato was well under way in his preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics when the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic brought the world to its knees. After months of uncertainty, the International Olympic Committee finally announced that the 2020 games would be postponed until the summer of 2021. "I was in shock as we've been training very hard and the whole Egypt national Paralympic team has been working hard," says Hamato. "I was going to participate in a tournament in Slovakia right before the Paralympics which would have helped me as my final preparation, but everything is being postponed because life is more important than anything else." As a world-class athlete of advancing age, Hamato knows all too well that he cannot afford to sit around and wait for international competition to resume. He is still training harder than ever, with the added aerobic challenge of playing with a face mask. Hamato's daughter Malak, 10, has been his tireless coach and training partner. "Malak is helping me out with the face mask," says Ibrahim Hamato through a face mask. "She also disinfects the racket and everything as well. I depend on Malak and she is key to secure my protection." "My father promised me that he will win a medal in Tokyo and this is the dream that I've been waiting to happen to my dad ever since," says Malak Hamato. As one of a small army of volunteers describes, "We came to disinfect Ibrahim Hamato's place. He is the national treasure of the town, Egypt, and the whole Arab world. We hope he can win a medal in the Olympics." Whatever life throws his way, Hamato just keeps on putting a positive spin (i.e. topspin) on things. As previously implied, this is the hallmark of greatness. We wish him and his family good health and good luck as they prepare for Tokyo!

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