The East Lancashire table tennis champion has a golden chance to feature at the Paris Paralympics; he just needs to win a tournament in Thailand first.
Theo Bishop, 20, from Rawtenstall, is carving out a career for himself in the sport he chanced upon.
Diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was 14 months old, he walked on his toes and started attending Balladen Primary School, using a wheeled frame for mobility.
When he was nine, his family and friends raised £45,000 so he could undergo life-changing surgery in America.
Theo said: “I had my surgery before the summer in 2012 and the holidays were supposed to heal.
“Then when I went back to school in September, I was still recovering and so I couldn’t do sports.”
This was when Rossendale School Sports Partnership table tennis coach Graham Young was asked to run a session at the school.
Since there wasn’t a ‘proper’ table, he pushed two dining tables together and used an expandable mesh in the middle.
Theo added: “Graham was working with a different year group, but I was offered the chance to try the sport as I couldn’t do anything too physical due to surgery.”
Graham, who currently coaches, said: “When I first met Theo, I had never worked with a disabled person.
“At that stage he could only stand there and put the ball into the net, but then he went on to the Hyndburn Center and then Kay Street Table Tennis Club in Rawtenstall.
“I took him to Preston to see the Wales-Scotland international student competition and he wanted to be as good as those players.
“When I was his coach, sometimes I would treat him healthy and move him around the table and he would fall, but he would always dust himself off and get back up. He always showed determination and enthusiasm.”
In elementary school, Theo often challenged his teaching assistant, Jeff Stanton.
He said: “In the beginning I was getting beaten; But the more I lost, the more I wanted to beat him.
“I have always loved every sport and will always try it. Personally, when I play a match, it’s just me against them.
“I love the feeling of competition, I love the nerves, I love the pressure.”
He was able to walk unaided from Balladen and passed the 11+ test to go to Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School.
His table tennis skills led to him being selected for the England Development Team on his 14th birthday, and he played in his first international tournament at the age of 15.
A year later he entered Grantham College Table Tennis Academy and moved from Rossendale, leaving behind his mother Mandy, father Stuart and older siblings Jamie-Leigh and Thomas.
Theo has been a member of the British Para table tennis team Pathway team for the past two years and currently lives in Sheffield at Team GB’s training center where he spends approximately 22 hours a week playing table tennis.
It competes in Para Class 7 for competitors with serious injuries to two limbs.
Theo said: “Our plan was to target the Los Angeles Paralympics in four years but I was selected for the Europeans in Sheffield last September and had a really good tournament.
“Unfortunately, due to a pre-arranged holiday, my family had to watch my matches on screen in Turkey, but my grandmother Ann saw me play live.”
He came close to beating Michal Deigsler in his first match, saving two match points, but ultimately lost narrowly.
Then, in the Men’s Singles Grade 7, he won his group by beating Luka Trtnik, but lost in the quarter-finals.
At the US Open held in Texas last July, Theo and his doubles partner Will Bayley won the gold medal.
At the Kazakhstan Open in March this year, Theo won his first international singles medal with a silver medal.
His chosen sport has taken him all over the world, including Brazil, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, and in May he will travel to Thailand to compete in the World Qualifiers.
If he wins his class, he will be placed last in the Great Britain squad for the Paralympics in August.
Theo added: “This is one of the strongest categories, but I feel good about the competition.
“The two people I beat in Kazakhstan are also in the group and I have as good a chance of winning as anyone else.”
He is always looking for sponsors as his professional bat costs £250 and needs to be repaired with parts worth £100 every month.
To support Theo, call 07910 745551.
A total of 11 British Paralympic table tennis team athletes are hoping to improve their world rankings at this week’s ITTF Polish Para Open tournament in Wladyslawowo, the final tournament in the 2024 Paralympic Games qualifying period in Paris.
Another member of the British squad at the ITTF Polish Para Open is 29-year-old Fliss Pickard from Burnley.
BPTT Performance Director Gorazd Vecko said: “This is a difficult time for athletes who are on the verge of qualifying and are looking for good results in Poland that will lead to direct qualification for Paris when the new world rankings are published in April.
“The qualification system has become even more difficult this time, and in some classes even being in the top five in the world rankings does not guarantee qualification, so this will be a very important tournament for the team, with many talented athletes from around the world also fighting for a place in Paris.”
For athletes who cannot qualify directly from the world rankings, there will be one last chance to qualify at the Paralympic World Qualifying Tournament to be held in Thailand from 23-25 May.