Hursey 'shocked' but 'excited' by Olympic qualification
Anna Hursey won bronze alongside Charlotte Carey in the women's doubles at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham
- Published
Teenager Anna Hursey hopes her appearance at this summer’s Olympic Games will lead to “many more” after qualifying for the table tennis women’s singles.
Hursey came through the European singles qualification tournament in Sarajevo to become the first British player to secure a place in Paris.
The 17-year-old secured one of the five available Olympic spots after a string of victories against players ranked higher than her own current world number 98 rating.
“I've no idea what the Olympics is going to be like,” Hursey told BBC Sport Wales.
- Published24 July
“I think that it might be a little bit similar to the Commonwealth Games but maybe like times ten.
“So I'm really excited for that and just to kind of experience every little thing, also to kind of remember it and just have the experience in an Olympics for hopefully many more Olympic Games.
“I've always wanted to go to the Olympics. And now I just feel a little bit shocked. But yeah I have worked really hard and I'm really excited to go.”
Hursey is the first ever Welsh table tennis player to qualify for the Olympics.
She previously created headlines in 2018, when aged 11 she was part of Team Wales which competed at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia.
“It feels really great. I feel a bit of shocked to have been the only one to qualify for Wales in table tennis, but I've worked really hard since I was really young,” Hursey added.
“So I'm really happy for this time, since I’m 17, to have qualified it feels great. And everyone that's helped me I think is really all so happy.
“Everyone around me is just always so supportive and they never put any pressure and I've got such a great team around me from Table Tennis Wales to Team GB or my parents or my agent or lots of different sponsors.
“So I have loads of help, all the help that I need and I think all it is then is just to work really hard and then to do them proud.”