Joshua Stacey
Date and place of birth: 25/02/2000, Cardiff
Home town: Cardiff
Lives: Sheffield
TT Class: 9
Current world ranking: 9
International debut: 2017
Major titles: Commmonwealth champion 2022
Joshua’s story
Joshua started playing table tennis at the age of 13 when coach Simon Oyler came to his school and ran a ‘come and try’ session.
“I’ve always liked to be the best at what I do,” he admits, “and when I first started playing table tennis I was pretty bad. But as I started to play I understood the sport more and I started to enjoy how different it can be on any given day and the pressure that comes with it. I enjoyed the challenge and the fact that you had to work hard to get better.”
Joshua attributes his work ethic to his late grandfather who he credits as the person who has influenced him the most.
“He came from a large family and didn’t have a lot growing up,” he said. “He always worked as hard as he could and never complained when things didn't go his way. He just dug in and kept going which is something that I would like to carry with me while I am playing and in the future - just having that grit to work even harder when things don’t go your way.”
The ability to see the positive in any situation helped Joshua when he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP) at the age of 17. During a visit to Grantham College, where Joshua was combining his table tennis with his studies, BPTT coach Mat Kenny noticed that the young Welshman was walking on his toes and suggested that there may be a physical reason for his inability to place the weight fully on his feet.
“An MRI scan showed I had brain damage on one side of my brain which was consistent with a CP diagnosis,” explained Joshua. “For me, knowing I had CP wasn’t really a big thing in terms of how it would affect me in general because I had lived with it and it didn’t really affect me in a negative way. Once I got the diagnosis it just meant I would get more opportunities.”
He joined the British Para table tennis team and just six months after making his international debut Joshua represented Wales at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and completed a 1-2-3 for the British Para table tennis team by taking bronze in the men’s class 6-10 singles. In 2019 he took bronze in the men’s class 10 team event at the European Championships and broke into the world’s top 10 in men’s class 9. He made his Paralympic debut in Tokyo, reaching the quarterfinals of the men’s class 9 singles and the quarterfinals of the men’s class 9-10 team with Ashley Facey Thompson.
In 2022 Joshua won his first major title at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, taking gold for Wales in the men’s class 8-10 singles after beating former World and Paralympic champion Ma Lin from Australia in the final.
“The atmosphere in the hall was incredible,” he said. “It was phenomenal – we never really get to experience it because we never have a home Games but to have it and get the result, I’ll never forget it. I was thinking about my grandad on the podium. To have family and friends here means everything – it is something you dream of and I’m beyond thankful to have achieved it.”
Three months later at the World Championships in Spain, Joshua took silver in the men’s class 9 singles and silver in the men’s class 18 doubles with Ross Wilson. He was disappointed to lose in the quarterfinals at the European Championships in Sheffield in 2023, although he and Ross took bronze in the men’s class 18 doubles and is determined to come back stronger in 2024.
“I won’t personally take any positives from this week,” he said afterwards, “but that’s just how I am. It’ll definitely be motivation for me going into the winter months.”
Joshua started 2024 by taking silver in the US Open and the Italian Open and his qualification for the Paralympic Games in Paris was confirmed in April.
He went into Paris having taken gold in the singles and doubles at the Czech Open but was disappointed to lose in the last 16 of the men’s class 18 doubles with Aaron McKibbin and in the quarterfinal of the men’s class 9 singles to Ma Lin.
“I just don’t think I was clinical enough and he took advantage,” said Joshua. “He gave me some loose balls that were half chances whereas I was missing and maybe that was the difference. He was just that bit more solid. Right now my mind is not really anywhere but on what’s just happened but I know that come the end of this month I’ll be back in the hall and trying to improve as much as I can on a daily basis, and hoping that when I’m presented with an opportunity like I was this time that I’m capable of taking it.”
2024 Results:
Paralympic Games, Paris – QF, men’s singles (class 9); L16, men’s doubles (class 18); QF, mixed doubles (class 17)
Czech Open – gold, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s doubles (class 18)
Slovenia Open – QF, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s doubles (class 18)
Polish Open – group stages, men’s singles (class 9); silver, men’s doubles (class 18)
Costa Brava Spanish Open – QF, men’s singles (class 9); bronze, men’s doubles (class 18)
Lignano Masters Para Open, Italy – silver, men’s singles (class 9); QF, men’s doubles (class 18)
US Open – silver, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s doubles (class 18)
2023 Results:
European Championships, Sheffield, UK – QF, men’s singles (class 9); bronze, men’s doubles (class 18)
Czech Para Open – bronze, men’s singles (class 9); bronze, men’s doubles (class 18)
Slovenia Open – L16, men’s singles (class 9); bronze, men’s doubles (class 18)
Greek Para Open – silver, men’s singles (class 9)
2022 Results:World Championships, Spain – silver, men’s singles (class 9); silver, men’s doubles (class 18); QF, mixed doubles (class 18)
Greek Open – gold, men’s singles (class 9), group stages, mixed doubles (class 17)
Commonwealth Games, Birmingham, England – gold, men’s singles (class 8-10)
Czech Open – gold, men’s singles (class 9)
Slovenia Open – QF, men’s singles (class 9); L16, men’s doubles (class MD18); group stages, mixed doubles (class XD17)
Egypt Open – silver, men’s singles (class 9); bronze, men’s doubles (class MS18); runner-up mixed doubles (class XS17RR)
Costa Brava Spanish Open – gold, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s doubles (class MS18); bronze, mixed doubles (class XS17)
2021 Results:
Paralympic Games, Tokyo – QF, men’s singles (class 9); QF, men’s teams (class 9-10)
2020 Results:
Costa Brava Spanish Open – silver, men’s singles (class 9); bronze, men’s teams (class 9-10)
Polish Open – gold, men’s singles (class 9)
2019 Results:
China Open – bronze, men’s singles (class 9); silver, men’s teams (class 9-10)
Finland Open – silver, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s teams (class 9)
European Championships, Sweden – bronze, men’s teams (class 10); QF, men’s singles (class 9)
Czech Open – silver, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s teams (class 9)
Japan Open – QF, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s teams (class 9)
Polish Open – bronze, men’s singles (class 9); QF, men’s team (class 9-10)
Slovenia Open – bronze, men’s singles (class 9); bronze men’s teams (class 9)
Lignano Master Open, Italy – silver, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s teams (class 10)
2018 Results:
Spanish Open – silver, men’s singles (class 9)
Czech Open – gold, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s teams (class 10)
Slovakia Open – bronze, men’s singles (class 9); silver, men’s teams (class 9-10)
Slovenia Open – QF, men’s singles (class 9); QF, men’s teams (class 9)
Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast, Australia – bronze, men’s singles (class 6-10)
Lignano Master Open, Italy – bronze, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s teams (class 9-10)
2017 Results:
US Open – bronze, men’s singles (class 9); silver, men’s teams (class 9-10)
Belgium Open – bronze, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s teams (class 9)
Career Highlights:
2024: Czech Open – gold, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s doubles (class 18)
2022: World Championships, Spain – silver, men’s singles (class 9); silver, men’s doubles (class 18);
Greek Open – gold, men’s singles (class 9)
Commonwealth Games, Birmingham, England – gold, men’s singles (class 8-10)
Czech Open – gold, men’s singles (class 9)
Costa Brava Spanish Open – gold, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s doubles (class MS18)
2021: Paralympic Games, Tokyo – QF, men’s singles (class 9); QF, men’s teams (class 9-10)
2020: Polish Open – gold, men’s singles (class 9)
2019: Finland Open – silver, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s teams (class 9)
European Championships, Sweden – bronze, men’s teams (class 10); QF, men’s singles (class 9)
Czech Open – silver, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s teams (class 9)
Japan Open – gold, men’s teams (class 9)
Lignano Master Open, Italy – silver, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s teams (class 10)
2018: Spanish Open – silver, men’s singles (class 9)
Czech Open – gold, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s teams (class 10)
Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast, Australia – bronze, men’s singles (class 6-10)
Lignano Master Open, Italy – bronze, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s teams (class 9-10)
2017: Belgium Open – bronze, men’s singles (class 9); gold, men’s teams (class 9)