Filip Radović, a Montenegrin table tennis player, said that he would fulfill his dream by qualifying for the Paralympic Games, but that, if he wins an Olympic visa, he will not be satisfied with just participating in Tokyo.
Silver from the European Championship in Heksingborg emphasized that placing at the Games in Tokyo, bearing in mind the difficulty of the qualification system, would be one of the most significant results in his career.
"My dream is to perform in Tokyo this year. This is also my biggest goal for 2020. If I qualify for the Paralympic Games, I will definitely not be satisfied with just participating, I will do everything to go there as a competitive competitor", said Radović.
In an interview with the MINA agency, he pointed out that he has a great chance of winning a placement in Tokyo, stating that he might take a decisive step as early as February.
"I have great chances, but I also have no right to bad games in the challenges that have been waiting for me since the beginning of February. "I am currently ranked third in the World Ranking, and the first six players will secure a place in Tokyo," said Radović.
He specified that he must play at least one more tournament by March 31 in order to fulfill the minimum quota of the number of tournaments played, which is required as a prerequisite for every player.
"The first tournament awaits me at the beginning of February in Egypt. With a good result in Alexandria, I could finally secure a visa for the Games. Otherwise, I will have to win a direct placement in Italy at the end of March", said Radović.
He emphasized that Tokyo will bring together all the best that Paralympic table tennis currently has.
"In such strong competition, in addition to quality, it is necessary to match all the dice", said Radović.
He pointed out that 2019 was the most successful year in his career.
"The table tennis team exceeded some realistic expectations by winning silver and bronze at the European Championship. It will be difficult to repeat the results of 2019. However, even bigger challenges await me this year. I hope to make my debut at the Paralympic Games, and the placement itself would be one of the greatest results in my career so far," said Radović.
He emphasized that the shoulder injury is a thing of the past and he has no doubt that he will welcome the tournament in Egypt fully fit.
"I successfully recovered from the shoulder injury, which caught me shortly after the end of the European Championship. I have started preparations, I hope that I will be fully ready for the tournaments", said Radović.
He believes that, apart from him, his teammate from the national team, Luka Bakić, could also win an Olympic visa.
"If everything goes according to plan, Bakić will perform at the winner's tournament that will be held in Laško. Only the winner of that tournament will qualify for the Games. Bakić will have a difficult task, but I believe in him, I think he has the quality that will take him to Japan," said Radović.
Radović and Bakić, together with Dejan Bašanović, made up the team that won the bronze medal in the team competition in Helsingborg.
The native of Cetinje, who will turn 20 in July, has four European awards in his career.
In addition to Helsingborg, he was also on the podium in Vail in 2015 and in Laško two years later, where he finished with bronze medals.
Last year, Radović won gold at the European Youth Paralympic Games in Lahti, in the competition of players under the age of 23, and he also won medals at the Masters in Linjan, Laško and Lahti. He currently ranks third in the senior ranking in the S10 class, while he is in the leading position in the junior competition.
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