Dreams can come true

"I have this dream of winning an Olympic medal one day. I know this goal is a long way off, but I try to fight for it every day as long as my body allows me to."

Paranang Orawan, Thailand's best table tennis player, is a fighter. And she knows that big dreams can come true, however unlikely that may seem. She has experienced this herself. As the only one of five children in her family, she discovered her love for table tennis; she was seven years old when she first came into contact with the sport at school, and by the age of eight she was already competing in her first tournaments. But the conditions seemed extremely poor. Paranang comes from a very poor background; her grandparents and parents were farmers, and there was simply no money for a table tennis bat. A generous teacher helped out and gave her a bat. The man clearly had a good eye for talent. 

Things quickly took off for the petite left-hander. With her super-fast legs, she worked her way up with a lot of training and discipline. Chinese world champion and Olympic gold medalist Ding Ning became one of her role models, “because she's left-handed like me and has such good serves,” but also Liu Shiwen, “because she plays so smart.” Paranang Orawan has something of both of them, and that has helped her considerably on her way to the top. She has already been Thai champion three times in singles, four times in doubles and three times in mixed doubles, and she has won seven medals at the Southeast Asian Games, four of them gold, but she considers her bronze medal win with the team at the 2023 Asian Games to be her greatest success to date. Typical Paranang, she is a team player who has a big heart for her teammates.

What does she think is the most important thing for success in table tennis? “Always have fun when you play, be friendly to your teammates, and respect each other. I think if we have fun doing all that, we'll get better too.”
This gives you an idea of what a nice and warm-hearted person Paranang Orawan is. For TSV Langstadt, where she will play her second season in the Bundesliga in 2025/26, the Thai player nicknamed Thip is not only a top player, but also an enormous asset on a personal level, and her personality fits perfectly into the big DONIC family. Anyone who couldn't afford their own racket as a small child with big dreams knows how to appreciate a sponsor like DONIC all the more. With the money she earns as a professional, she now supports her family, and at 27, she has not yet reached the end of her journey. She knows one thing for sure: dreams can come true.

Material: DONIC PERSSON OFF+
Rubber: RH DONIC BLUEFIRE M2 max, VH BLUESTAR A1 max 

"For me, DONIC is the benefactor that has enabled me to reach my full potential.”