Once homeless, Tahl Leibovitz enters 7th Paralympics as 3-time medalist, author

PARIS — Tahl Leibovitz still remembers his first Paralympic games in Atlanta 28 years ago.

The para table tennis player remembers how energetic he was, fighting the crowd as he played. He described his first games as a constant battle. The high-intensity games culminated in a gold medal for Leibovitz and concluded with a trip to the White House.

"That was unbelievable for me in the United States," Leibovitz said on Tuesday. "That's probably the best memory."

Fast forward to 2024, the three-time medalist is preparing to compete in his seventh Paralympics in Paris. He will be in Classification 9 – a class for athletes with mild impairment that affects the legs or playing arm. He has Osteochondroma, making it difficult for movement in his playing right arm.

Leibovitz, out of Ozone Park, New York, enters as a much different person and athlete than he was in 1996.

For one, he successfully published a book that he had worked on for the past 20 years. "The Book of Tahl" details his journey from being homeless, stealing food just to survive to becoming a renowned Paralympic athlete and college graduate. He is a USA Table Tennis Hall of Famer, and the book tells the story of how he arrived there.

Leibovitz has authored two other books, but his newest is his favorite.

"This one is actually quite good," Leibovitz said, joking about the book. "And I would say just having this story where people know what it's like to be homeless, what it's like to have depression, what it's like to never go to school like high school and junior high school. And then you have whatever – four college degrees and you graduate with honors from NYU and all that stuff. It's interesting."Between balancing publishing the book, Leibovitz was training to add another medal to his cabinet. But it isn’t the winning that keeps the 5-foot-4 athlete returning.

Leibovitz keeps returning to the world stage for the experiences. So far, Paris has been one of those experiences that Leiboviz will never forget along with his previous trips with friends and family.

"That's what it comes down to because when you think about it – everyone wants to make these games and it's the experience of just meeting your friends and having something so unique and so different," Leibovitz said. "But I would say that's what really brings me back. Of course, I'm competitive in every tournament."

Fans returned to the stands in Paris after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics saw empty arenas due to COVID-19. More than 2 million tickets have been sold to the 2024 Games, but Leibovitz is not worried about nerves after his Atlanta experience.

No matter the crowd or situation, Leibovitz no longer feels pressure. Leaning on his experience from back to his debut in the 1996 Atlanta Games, the comfort level for the veteran is at an all-time high.

"I think it's the experience and people feel like in these games because it's different," Leibovitz said. "They feel so much pressure. I feel very comfortable when I'm playing because I've played so many. And I think that helps me a lot. Yeah, it probably helps me the most – the comfort level."

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tahl Leibovitz enters 7th Paralympics as 3-time medalist, author