Athletes' Stories

Gwen Rapley, Table Tennis

Hallett Cove resident Gwen Rapley is a two-time women’s singles table tennis champion at the Australian Deaf Games and will be competing at her third Games in Adelaide.

Rapley, who has played the sport for around 60 years, has represented both Australia and New Zealand in other Deaf competitions. This has included three World Deaf Games and two Trans-Tasman Games with New Zealand and an Asia Pacific Deaf Games for Australia. A highlight of her international career was winning a silver medal in the women’s singles for Australia in a table tennis test match against New Zealand 

For the past five years she has also been a member of the South Australian team competing at the National Veterans Table Tennis Championships – a mainstream sporting competition.  She has also represented New Zealand province Taranaki for a number of years in mainstream competitions including table tennis, hockey and track and field.

Outside of sport her interests include gardening, crafts and catching up with friends for walks and lunch.

On the Australian Deaf Games, Rapley says she is looking forward to “good competition and meeting old friends.”