Getting to know Milly Tapper

Milly Tapper is an Olympic and Paralympic Table Tennis athlete who trains at MSAC, and has been selected in the Australian team for the 2024 Paris Olympic. and Paralympic Games.

She is a Victorian Institute of Sport athlete and has represented Australia at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, the 2016 Rio Olympics and Paralympics, and the 2012 London Paralympics.

We caught up with Milly before she departed for her preparations…

What are you most looking forward to about the Games?

The privilege that it is to put on the green and gold, but mostly having hard fought matches with my teammates. I think that’s the most exciting thing for me coming up.

This is your fourth time being selected, how exciting is to be selected again?

It’ll be my third Olympics and fourth Paralympics [and] I think the feeling only gets better every time. The opportunity to go once was exhilarating and such a huge accomplishment to get there. But getting to do it again, every time, it kind of adds to the enjoyment and the satisfaction of the hard work that continuously keeps going in over the years.

How does MSAC help you train to be at your best for the Games?

We have our Para session here at MSAC, so it’s great getting the team in to have a great session. There’s always a good vibe that we get to have on the table and we’re very grateful to have access to it.

Why should people try Table Tennis?

Table Tennis is one of the hardest sports to play because it does require a lot of skill, and every point changes, so there’s no point that’s the same. Even though it’s difficult, it’s a lot of fun, and the best part is that everyone can play it, so it’s a very inclusive sport.

Describe your playing style in three words.

Strong, spinny and fun!

Find out more about how you can get involved in Table Tennis at MSAC here.