AUSTRALIAN FIRST TABLE TENNIS GOLD MEDALLISTS IN PARALYMPICS

The 1964 Tokyo Summer Paralympic Games was the second Paralympic Games following the 1960 Rome Paralympic Games. It ran from 8 to 12 November 1964.

Marion O'Brien and Daphne Hilton (nee Ceeney) were the Australian Paralympic table tennis players and athletes at the Games. Marion and Daphne won a gold medal in the Women's Table Tennis Doubles C event. It is the first table tennis gold medal in Australian Paralympics and Olympics history.

At the 1964 Tokyo Games, Marion also won a silver medal in the Women's Javelin C event, and a bronze medal in the Women's Table Tennis Singles C event.

                   Daphne Hilton                                                        Marion O'Brien                                                  

At the 1968 Tel Aviv Games, Marion won a silver medal in the Women's Table Tennis Doubles C event with Elaine Schreiber, and a bronze medal in the Women's Slalom C event.

At the 1964 Tokyo Paralympic Games, Daphne not only won a gold medal in the Women's Table Tennis Doubles C event, but she also won a silver medal in the Women's 50m Freestyle Prone Complete class 5 event, one bronze medal in the Women's 50m Freestyle Supine Cauda Equine event, one bronze medal in the Women's Albion Round Open Archery event, and a bronze medal in the Women's Foil Individual Fencing event. She also competed in the athletics events at the 1964 Tokyo Games.

Daphne was Australia’s only female representative at the first 1960 Rome Paralympic Games, where she won Australia’s first Paralympic gold medal by a female athlete, and incredibly, six of the Australian Paralympic Team’s 10 medals.

In 1960 Rome Paralympics, Daphne collected two gold medals, in the breaststroke and crawl, three silver medals for archery and a bronze medal for shot put. Of the ten medals Australia won in Rome, six belonged to Daphne.

                                   Australian Paralympic Team - 1964 Tokyo Paralympics

As a three-time Paralympian in 1960 Rome, 1964 Tokyo and 1968 Tel Aviv Paralympics, Daphne won 14 Paralympic medals in archery, athletics, fencing, table tennis and swimming. She also won 22 medals across four Para sports at the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in 1962 and 1966. It is unlikely this record will ever be broken.

 Daphne Hilton (L) 1964 Tokyo Paralympics (R) 1962 Perth Commonwealth Paraplegic Games

Daphne raised the profile of women in Para-sport at a time when sports for people with disabilities were exclusively male. She was the first Para-athlete to prove that Australian women were perfectly capable of outperforming men on the world stage.

Daphne Hilton was born in Harden-Murrumburrah NSW in 1934. As a schoolgirl, she swam and played tennis and hockey. In 1951, 17-year-old Daphne sustained a spinal injury after a horse riding accident. In 1959, Daphne learned there were opportunities for genuine rehabilitation and immediately relocated to Sydney, where she was first introduced to Para-sport.

Daphne’s success in Rome inspired her to keep training. After returning to Sydney, Daphne would wake at 5am to begin her training before putting in a full day at work and then continuing to train to do field events after work. Her presence and no doubt her success were instrumental in raising the profile of women with a disability in sport. She laid the foundations for a path many have followed.

                             Australian Paralympic Team - 1964 Tokyo Paralympics

At the first Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Perth in 1962, Daphne won 8 gold medals and one silver medal competing in athletics, archery and swimming.

At the 1964 Tokyo Paralympic Games, Daphne came home with gold again, this time in Table Tennis. She also added a silver medal and three bronze to her tally, including a bronze for fencing.

At the 1966 Jamaica Commonwealth Paraplegic Games, Daphne took home 13 medals all up, including six gold medals in swimming, fencing, shot put, table tennis and pentathlon. She even set a new world record for the women’s 50m freestyle.

Daphne retired after the Tel Aviv Games, and set a record that is unlikely to ever be broken in either the Paralympics or the Olympics. She won 14 medals in five different sports—athletics, swimming, archery, table tennis and fencing—across three Paralympic Games. It’s an incredible feat.

Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) Chief Executive Lynne Anderson said “Daphne’s contribution to Paralympic sport was immeasurable. Daphne was a pioneer for Paralympic sport and women’s sport and she has left an incredibly powerful legacy.” 

“Until Daphne started to compete, sport for people with a disability was completely dominated by men. Her achievements at the first Paralympic Games in Rome in 1960 demonstrated that Australia’s female athletes were perfectly capable of outperforming the men and opened the doors to other female Paralympic athletes to follow. “Lynne said.

“Even at a time when Paralympic athletes often competed in more than one sport, Daphne’s achievement of winning Paralympic medals in five sports was exceptional and it’s a record that I’m certain simply won’t be surpassed.” Lynne emphasised.

                                                               Daphne Hilton       

Vice President of TTNSW, Ted Davis said on 25 August 2021: “As a Paralympic athlete and table tennis player, Daphne’s was exceptional. Daphne was undoubtedly one of the greatest athletes of her era that Australia produced. She medalled in five different sports. No one will ever do that again, and no one ever did that at the time.”

                       Australian Paralympic Team - 2021 Tokyo Paralympics - Day 1 Results

Ted continued: “TTNSW expresses our best wishes to the Australian Para Table Tennis Team for their success in 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, and its achievements on Day 1 are amazing. TTNSW trusts that the Australian Para Table Tennis Team will have a fruitful and a successful trip in Tokyo. Good luck! “

David Lee and Michael Li wish to gratefully acknowledge of Table Tennis Australia, Paralympics Australia, Tokyo Organizing Committee of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, International Paralympic Committee and Wikimedia Foundation.