The 20-year-old was born without a right hand and forearm but has not stopped her rising to be ranked 98th in the world among able-bodied players.

Partyka made her Paralympic debut at Sydney in 2000 when she was only 11, having claimed her first major medal at the age of 10 in the 1999 World Championships for the disabled.

She has since appeared in the Athens Games, as well as Beijing, winning two consecutive gold medals, both in the singles class 10, and two silver.

At the Beijing Olympics, Partyka lost to Tie Yana of Hong Kong in the team events, but only after forcing the world number 10 into five sets.

That has given her encouragement that she make a real impact in both the Olympics and Paralympics at London in 2012.

Partyka said: "Taking part in the Olympics is a dream come true and I gained good experience.

"I want to become one of the top players in the world.

"I know it is very difficult because there are a lot of good players.

"I have to practise a lot. I believe if I work hard, my dream will come true.

"Breaking into the top players at the European level and then at the world level."

Partyka is currently competing in the Qatar Open Table Tennis Championship.

She said: "So far my career is moving in the right direction and I hope that I will continue to follow the right path that will allow me to develop the sport.

"Since the beginning of my adventure with table tennis I have been lucky because I had people who devoted their time to me, believed in me, wished me the best and always supported me in whatever I did."

The other competitor to take part in both the Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing was the South African swimmer Natalie Du Toit.