It was an inauspicious start to an athletic career, to say the least. Florida-born Jenson Van Emburgh (pictured, left) suffered a spinal cord injury at birth. Despite undergoing a surgery requiring 33 screws and two metal rods, he was left paralyzed from the chest down. Now 21, Van Emburgh is ranked 10th worldwide in Class 3 (wheelchair) para table tennis. He has qualified for the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. For the last year, however, the native Floridian has called another Gulf state home as he trains for the Games. His western migration is largely the result of a chance encounter with Vlad Farcas (pictured, right), also 21, a Romanian-born coach. The two met in 2014 when Van Emburgh crossed the Atlantic to compete in a tournament in Romania. Now, Farcas has returned the favor, serving as the president of the San Antonio Table Tennis Club. "My mom lives here," explains Farcas. "After I finished high school, I decided to come here... I'm going to coach table tennis because it's all I love and what I know how to do." With an extra year to train for the pandemic-postponed Paralympics, Van Emburgh tracked down his old Romanian buddy in San Antonio and decided to stay. "I fell in love with the city," confesses Van Emburgh. "There are so many things to do here." Despite the multitude of diversions San Antonio has to offer, Van Emburgh keeps on training with his coach and sparring partner, inspired by the dream of reaching the podium. "It would be amazing," he says. "It's been a lot of hard work and dedication, and also tough times, so a gold medal would mean the world." Speaking of the world, Van Emburgh and Farcas will continue their globetrotting ways this summer. The Paralympics begin August 24 in Tokyo. Don't be surprised to see them at Paris 2024, Los Angeles 2028, Brisbane 2032, and wherever else the IOC may quadrennially be wooed.

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