In The Bible, the three magi traveled west, following a star (Matthew 2:1). Now, three wise men are poised to travel west to the Land of the Rising Sun. USA Table Tennis has announced the team for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, to be observed the following summer due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Representing the United States are Tahl Leibovitz, Ian Phillip Seidenfeld and Jenson Van Emburgh. Floridian Van Emburgh, 20, suffered a spinal injury suffered at birth. Playing in the Class 3 (wheelchair) division, he won the Class 3-5 gold medal at the 2016 US Open. He is currently ranked 11th in the world. "My goal is to represent the USA at the Paralympics," he had previously written on his Team USA bio page. Van Emburgh can now check that off his bucket list and begin concocting even higher goals. His younger teammate Ian Phillip Seidenfeld, 19, hails from Minnesota. Born with psuedoachondroplasia dwarfism, he is ranked 16th in the world in the Class 6 (standing) division. (Incidentally, this is three spots higher than Scotland's Martin Perry, subject of Tuesday's article.) In 2016, Seidenfeld said, "I will try to make Tokyo; my goal is to not only be a participant but to be someone with a chance for a medal. My personality is very competitive; I think that gives me drive to get better." Speaking of competitiveness, Tahl Leibovitz is every bit a native of Queens, New York. Born with benign bone tumors affecting all of his limbs, he plays in the Class 9 (standing) division. A decorated veteran of five Paralympics, the 45-year-old Leibovitz won gold in Atlanta 1996. Illustrating the intergenerational nature of the team, one of Leibovitz's teammates in Atlanta was the legendary Mitchell Seidenfeld, whose son Ian is now Tahl's Tokyo teammate. "We have such a great team," gushes Leibovitz. "We have really good people, and I think right now our organization is doing really well. I just have a great time with those guys. My teammates are awesome. They're unbelievable." The aforementioned organization is led by Jasna Rather, USATT Director of Para Programs. Rather was born Jasna Fazlić in Yugoslavia, both of which have since adopted different names. After a successful playing career, including an Olympic bronze medal in women's doubles in 1988, Rather has stayed busy as a coach and an administrator. "I started my work journey in Para TT about the same time as Jenson and Ian started competing," recalls Rather. "Support of their parents, local coaches and USATT were ingredients for the success of these wonderful young athletes. To be one of top world players in such a short time is truly proud moment for all." Like the three wise men of yore, the US Paralympic team is heading west on a mystical quest, determined to deliver the gold.

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