Despite a 26-Year Age Gap, Tahl Leibovitz and Ian Seidenfeld Have 28 Years of History Together

PARIS – Tahl Leibovitz has seen just about everything that has to do with Para table tennis – and then some.

The former six-time Paralympian stepped into South Paris Arena on a warm Thursday morning with his men’s doubles MD18 partner, Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games gold medalist Ian Seidenfeld, to extend his run to an unprecedented seventh Paralympic Games.

“The feeling is enjoyable,” he said on whether if it feels new every single time a Paralympic Games appears on his schedule. “You never know how you’re going to play and what you’re going to do in each match. But it’s definitely still enjoyable to be able to come out here and compete.”

The points did not fall their way in the pair’s first game of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, falling in three sets to China’s Liu Chaodong and Zhao Yiqing in three sets. However, both are primarily focused on their respective singles matches. Leibovitz will compete in the MS9 class while Seidenfeld will compete in the MS6 class later this week.

“I think it gives us an advantage out here to play one match before singles,” Lebovitz said. “It helps us quite a bit, gives us a better feeling. So I’m feeling pretty confident.”

“The tables felt really good, serving wise” Seidenfeld added. “So, I’ll try and mimic that success. I felt like I played confidently well and easily under pressure in front of the crowd. So, I’m expecting to be confident in singles.”

Coming into Paris, Seidenfeld has seen nothing but gold at major multi-sport international events that he’s competed at. The Lakeville, Minnesota, native scooped up his first gold at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games and defended his title in 2023 in Santiago. In between, he secured his first Paralympic gold, but without the pressure of a crowd. He’s looking to prove that a potentially loud crowd won’t rattle him when he begins his singles title defense.

Although he got a taste of having a crowd behind him in Santiago, Seidenfeld stated that it was nice to finally have the fans back in the stands on Para table tennis’ biggest stage.

“It’s really cool,” Seidenfeld began. “We had a few in Santiago, so I got a feeling of that. But in Paris, it's obviously different with higher stakes … It’s really cool to see that support when you hit a really nice shot, the crowd likes it as well.”

A 26-year age gap separates Leibovitz, 49, and Seidenfeld, 23. However, the pair have been linked together as far back as the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games, five years before Ian was born. That’s because Leibovitz and Seidenfeld’s father, Mitchell, were U.S. doubles teammates for those Games, and each claimed medals. Leibovitz won gold in men’s singles C7, while Mitchell took home silver in C8. To boot, Mitchell also won gold 4 years prior in Barcelona. Here in Paris, Mitchell is the coach of the U.S. Para Table Tennis National Team.

Because of this, Ian Seidenfeld essentially grew up with a paddle in his hands, telling Team USA that there is video of him playing the sport in his basement at two years old.

“It’s great to have him here,” Seidenfeld said. “I don’t think I’d want to play for another coach. So, it’s really fun.”

Seidenfeld also joked that currently, he thinks he could beat his father in a competitive match if they competed against each other.

When asked about how it was playing with Ian’s father, Leibovitz said he was an incredible player.

“He had a really good change (of pace) and was really good mentally. We won a lot of tournaments together.”

Leibovitz also offered nothing but praise when he spoke about now playing with Ian.

“It’s amazing,” Leibovitz added about now playing with Ian. “Going in, I didn’t even know – we’ve been practicing a lot, he showed his level even in doubles. He played amazingly. (He’s) a really good partner and it was an honor to play with a gold medalist! …I almost thought I was playing with his Dad!”

As with many Paralympic athletes, their paths to the Games could not have been more different. Leibovitz became homeless at age 13, after his parents struggled with substance abuse. He lived in the subway system in New York City before visiting the South Queens Boys and Girls Club to participate in a program for at-risk young people. While there, he saw kids playing table tennis and enjoyed the sound of the ball hitting the paddle. A chance meeting in 1995 with then-U.S. Para table tennis coach Chris Lehman opened the door to a new life.

Now, Leibovitz is a veteran on the edge of retirement, and hoping for a storybook ending that he gets to write himself. He’s stated that he would love to retire on home soil in 2028 since he started his Paralympic Games career in Atlanta. Over the years, he has seen the sport grow immensely.

“USA Table Tennis has given us so much support over the last five or six years,” he began. “It’s more than what we’ve had probably in our entire careers. When you have a team of people behind you, that makes a big, big difference.

“I noticed at the Athens Paralympics (in 2004) it started to change. Then in Beijing (2008), that’s when the crowd was different…there are more people, more crowds. It’s has definitely gotten a lot bigger.”