The Twists And Turns In Tahl Leibovitz’s Remarkable Para Table Tennis Journey Continue

At the 2023 Parapan American Games, every competitor has their story.

Where they came from. How they became a world-class athlete. What obstacles they conquered along the way.

Tahl Leibovitz is no different in that sense. Although maybe, just maybe, his tale is a bit more improbable than most.

“Looking back, I think I did OK,” said the understated Leibovitz, one of the most accomplished Para table tennis players in American history. “Based on my life and training, I was able to reach my personal and professional goals.”

As a 13-year-old in the late 1980s, Leibovitz ended up on the streets of New York City when his parents (who battled substance abuse and mental illness) kicked him out of their home. He fended for himself during the day and slept on the NYC subways, streets and beaches at night. He never finished middle school and never even set foot in a high school classroom.

Those challenging circumstances did lead to a fortuitous situation, however, when Leibovitz ventured into the South Queens Boys & Girls Club one day and started to play table tennis. He gradually improved, rising from an inconsistent newcomer to a player filled with potential.

Along the way, he found a new purpose in life. And he showed that osteochondroma — a condition in which benign tumors form near bones — was not going to get in his way.

As an 18-year-old, Leibovitz began training at the then-U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado. He later qualified for the 1996 Paralympic team, and the rest is history. He has competed for the United States in six Paralympic Games and five world championships. He has won six Parapan American gold medals and one Paralympic gold in 1996, to go with a pair of bronze medals.

Next up for Leibovitz is his sixth Parapan Games, which begin Friday in Santiago, Chile.

“I have prepared very well for this competition. I trained my best over the last year,” said Leibovitz, noting his daily training regimen has included 10 miles of walking, 200 push-ups and 100 sit-ups. “I really don’t have any expectations, but I know I am very well prepared.”

And very confident, too.

“Confidence comes from practice,” Leibovitz continued. “Regardless of the results, I know there really wasn’t much else I could have done with the training. I worked very hard for a long time.”

Leibovitz will be competing in Chile as a member of the U.S. table tennis team, as he has for much of the last three decades. Others have come and gone, of course, but the 48-year-old veteran likes the current iteration of the squad. Ian Seidenfeld, the 2020 Paralympic gold medalist in Tokyo, is among the other American standouts competing in Santiago.

“The team is very positive,” Leibovitz said. “Everyone seems to be working together well. We have great coaches and a fantastic staff. We also have tremendous support from USA Table Tennis.”

For Leibovitz and the other U.S. athletes, the simplest way to qualify for next year’s Paralympic Games in Paris is to win a gold medal in Santiago. More will earn their Paris spots via rankings or a qualification tournament next year. Leibovitz, as usual, is keeping things in the proper perspective.

“I am not able to control if I win or lose,” he said. “Hopefully I will be able to make it to Paris for 2024. If not, I will try again in 2028.”

In either case, he noted that those 2028 Paralympics will be his last hurrah.

“I’m planning on retiring in 2028,” he said. “That probably will be my last Paralympics, if I qualify. It gets tougher and tougher each year. The requirements are more difficult — and the competition keeps improving.”

However, even if he fails to reach the Paralympics in 2024 or ’28, Leibovitz appears content with his career and his life — neither of which seemed very possible when he was a teen.

These days, Leibovitz lives with his family on Long Island, where he works as a licensed clinical social worker. The middle school dropout from many years ago has since earned two bachelor’s degrees and two master’s degrees — just one more impressive part of his story.

And as for the next chapter? Well, for now he has a job to do with American squad in Chile — and maybe in Paris next summer.

“It’s a privilege to be a part of Team USA,” Leibovitz said. “In these games, it’s good to have a solid team with you. I have heard that the five people you surround yourself with — that is your life. (In that case), we are in good company here at the Parapan Am Games in Chile.”