As far as debuts go, it was not what one would call auspicious. On Wednesday, 20-year-old Ian Seidenfeld (pictured) played his first Paralympic match. Seidenfeld, ranked 15th in the world in Men's Class 6 para table tennis, Ian lost to defending Paralympic gold medalist Peter Rosenmeier of Denmark in the first round, two games to three. Seidenfeld, along with the rest of the US Paralympic table tennis team, was coached by his father, Mitchell Seidenfeld. Mitchell knows the pressure of performing on the world stage better than anyone, having won the Paralympic gold medal in Barcelona 1992. One by one, the other Team USA members reached the ends of their singles campaigns. Yesterday, Jenson Van Emburgh secured the first medal for Team USA in Tokyo, a bronze in Men's Class 3. Today in Tokyo, Team USA focused its attention on the last man standing, Ian Seidenfeld. A cinematic turnaround saw Seidenfeld graduate from his qualifying group and matriculate to the playoffs, where he aced every test all the way to the final exam. There, in the gold medal match, Seidenfeld was granted a rematch with Rosenmeier. The world #2 Rosenmeier has medaled in every Paralympics since 2004, winning two golds and two bronzes. What Seidenfeld lacked in experience, he more than made up for in fighting spirit. Taking the attack to the Dane proved a crucial stratagem, as each game came down to the wire. At 9-all in the first, a confident Seidenfeld seized an advantage he would not relinquish. With an (11-9, 11-8, 11-8) scoreline, Seidenfeld hoisted what will likely be many medals in his promising career. "I couldn't have dreamt for anything better," said Seidenfeld. "I dreamt of it before the tournament, during the tournament, and now it's coming to reality... Rosenmeier I respect more than any Class 6 (player), and most Para players, so I just took that into the game, knowing that he would compete really hard. So, I had to compete really hard, too." While the 37-year-old Peter Rosenmeier is surely disappointed, he can console himself with his completed collection of Paralympic medals, adding the missing silver to his Scrooge McDuck-like overabundance of gold and bronze. What at first seemed inauspicious turned into the best possible debutant ball for Ian Seidenfeld. For Team USA, and the Mitchell family in particular, there is nothing but golden smiles.

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