Mitchell Seidenfeld brought a great deal of momentum into the 2008 Paralympic Games after winning two gold medals at the 2007 Parapan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In Beijing, Seidenfeld was edged out of the medal equation when he lost the bronze medal match to Spain's Alvaro Valera.
Seidenfeld, a world champion player (1990, Class 8 Singles) and award-winning coach (2003 U.S. Olympic Committee Table Tennis Developmental Coach of the Year), played four years at the University of Minnesota, where he earned a degree in English.
He is married with two children (Emma & Ian) and works as the program director for Table Tennis Minnesota.
Major Achievements:
- 2008: U.S. Paralympic Team member, Table Tennis - Paralympic Games, Beijing, China
- 2007: Two gold medals, Class 7 Singles, Class 7 Team - Parapan American Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 2005: Gold medal, Class 10 Team; Silver medal, Open Standing; Bronze medal, Class 10 Singles - Parapan American Table Tennis Championships, Mar Del Plata, Argentina
- 2003: U.S. Olympic Committee's Table Tennis Developmental Coach of the Year
- 1996: Silver medal, Class 8 Singles; Bronze medal, Class 6-8 Team - Paralympic Games, Atlanta, Ga.
- 1992: Gold medal, Class 8 Singles; Bronze medal, Class 10 Team - Paralympic Games, Barcelona, Spain
- 1990: Gold medal, Class 8 Singles; Bronze medal, Open Standing - World Championships, Assen, The Netherlands
- Five-time Minnesota State Champion (1992, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003)
- Four-time Dwarf Athletic Association of America (DAAA) Athlete of the Year (1990-92, 1994)
- Two-time World Dwarf Games Champion (1993, 1997)
Paralympic Experience
- 3-time Paralympian; 4-time Paralympic medalist (1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze)
- Paralympic Games Beijing 2008, 4th (Singles Class 7 - Men), 9th (Team Class 9-10 - Men)
- Paralympic Games Atlanta 1996, silver (Singles Class 8 - Men), bronze (Team Class 6-8 - Men), 9th (Open 6-10 - Men)
- Paralympic Games Barcelona 1992, gold (Singles Class 8 - Men), bronze (Team Class 10 - Men)
World Championships Experience
- Most recent: 2010 – 5th (Singles Class 7 - Men, Team Class 9 - Men), 17th (Open Standing - Men)
- Years of participation: Open Standing - Men 2010; Singles Class 7 - Men 2010; Team Class 9 - Men 2010; Singles Class 10 - Men 2006; Open 6-10 - Men 1990; Singles Class 8 - Men 1990
- Medals: 2 (1 gold, 1 bronze)
- Gold – 1990 (Singles Class 8 - Men)
- Bronze – 1990 (Open 6-10 - Men)
