Pictured: Grant Manzoney, Australia. Photo Credit: Badminton Photo, Craig Burgess
Australia’s Grant Manzoney was part of Para badminton’s history-making Paralympic Games debut in Tokyo last year.
He is also the two-time reigning WH2 men’s singles and men’s doubles Continental Champion, with every intention of defending his titlew in next week’s VICTOR Oceania Championships 2022.
The tournament will be taking place on the other side of the country from the Perth-based player, at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre from 29-31 July 2022.
Having been around Oceania’s Para badminton scene for the last six years, he has progressively played a bigger role in raising awareness for the sport and is elated by the growth, evident in the highest number of entries on record to this year’s Continental Championships.
Find out more about Grant’s thoughts and expectations for Para badminton in Oceania and beyond in his Q+A:
How does it feel to observe the growth in Para Badminton across Oceania?
It’s exciting to see a record number of entries at the Oceania Champs and witness the growth of Para Badminton across our region, not only in participation, but also at a competitive level.. It’s great to see so many new players competing for the first time!
Has the Tokyo 2020 experience enhanced or changed your views on Para badminton at all?
The experience of Tokyo 2020 made me realise how far Para Badminton has come…the players are more professional than ever and the quality of gameplay was phenomenal.
The sport has evolved and as an athlete I came home from Tokyo knowing that I needed to change the way I trained and become more professional in my approach if I wanted to be competitive with the top players.
What are your aims for this tournament?
My aim for the Oceania Champs is to play well and showcase the skills I have learnt in training. I will be trying to win my third title in a row in singles and doubles and come home with three gold medals.
How does this set you up for the rest of the year?
Beyond this event I have tournaments in Thailand and Indonesia, the Australian Nationals and I have qualified for the World Championships in Tokyo to finish off the year. Then, my focus will be on qualification for Paris 2024
All matches on courts one and two will be available to watch on the live stream, while news and results from the event will be available to view on our website and Facebook page. Join the conversation using #VOC22.
