Natalia Partyka: Inspiring Olympic Performance will Lead to Paralympic Gold

Natalia Partyka may not be one of the biggest names competing at the games in London, but she's one of the most inspiring.

Olympic athletes are amazing individuals. Regardless of sport, it takes a unique skill set to be one of the very best at a sport in one's home country. Table tennis isn't one of the Olympics marquee events, but it takes an incredible amount of skill. Lightning quick reflexes, intense focus and elite hand-eye coordination are all mandatory characteristics to play the game at the highest level. 

Partyka possesses all of these traits and plays with the best in the world—despite being born without a right hand and forearm.

Partyka is representing Poland in table tennis and made it to the round of 32 in the Women's individual tournament before being defeated 4-2 by Jie Li. Partyka's willingness to compete with able-bodied athletes is a testament to her refusal to allow her handicap to slow her down.

When asked about her disability, Partyka prefers to think of herself as any other player. Telling Michelle Kaufman of The Miami Herald:

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"I am playing the same lines as the others. And I have the same dreams and goals. It is not an issue. My coaches expect the same from me as from everyone else."

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Partyka's attitude toward her circumstances is obviously an inspiration. Partyka embraces the opportunity to be a role model.

""I can show people that nothing is impossible," Partyka said. "Maybe being disabled makes things more difficult than for able-bodied people, and maybe we have to work a little harder. But we can do anything we want to do if we just try. Maybe someone will see me and realize their own disability is not the end of the world, that they can achieve bigger dreams than they imagined.""

Partyka's message is timeless, and to see her succeed in spite of her disabilities is the kind of story that makes the Olympics great. Partyka may not have found the podium in the Olympics, but she is still one of the biggest winners in all of The Games.

With the Olympic now behind her, Partyka can shift her focus to the Paralympic games, where she will be competing with other disabled athletes. Partyka's solid showing in the Olympics is a strong indicator that she will be able to repeat her gold medal performances from the 2004 and 2008 Paralympics.

Regardless of the outcome, Partyka is definitely an athlete to keep an eye on when the Paralympics begin on August 29.