# David Jacobs (table tennis)

Dian David Mickael Jacobs (21 June 1977 – 28 April 2023) was an Indonesian athlete who competed in table tennis, primarily Class 10 para table tennis. Born in Ujung Pandang, he took up table tennis at the age of ten and rose quickly through national tournaments. He was training to play internationally by 2000, and in 2001 he won his first gold medal, at the SEATTA Championships in Singapore. After 2010 he competed in para table tennis, having spent most of his career competing against athletes with full functionality. Having lost control in his right hand, he decided to compete in the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, winning a bronze medal.

## Early life

Jacobs was born in Ujung Pandang (now Makassar) on 21 June 1977. He was of Ambonese descent. He began playing table tennis at age ten, with the support of his parents Jan and Nell, as well as his brothers Rano, Piere, and Joe; as of 2012 his three brothers also play table tennis. In 1989 his parents registered him with the PTP Club in Semarang; in his two years with the club, he became a national champion at the elementary-school level.
When Jacobs was ready to begin his junior high school, the family moved to Jakarta. Jacobs was signed with UMS 80 Club. He continued to improve and joined the provincial team. In 1997 he was sent to Beijing to train at the Shi Cha Hai Sports School. By 2000 Jacobs was already being prepared to compete at the international level by the Indonesian Table Tennis Association. As of January 2012 Jacobs was married to Jeanny Palar, with whom he has one child.

## Table tennis career

While earning a degree in management from the Perbanas School of Economics, Jacobs continued training. He participated in his first Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in 2001. Together with Yon Mardiono, in 2001 Jacobs won Indonesia's only gold medal at the SEATTA table tennis championship in Singapore. In the men's doubles competition, they defeated the Thai duo Phucong Sanguansin and Phakphoom Sanguansin in three matches, scoring 11–4, 11–4, and 11–6. Paired with Mardiono for the first time for this tournament, Jacobs told The Jakarta Post that they "were determined not to let ourselves be dominated".
Jacobs continued to play at the SEA Games, competing in Vietnam (2003), the Philippines (2005), and Thailand (2007). He won the 2004 Pekan Olahraga Nasional competition for table tennis, which led to him receiving an honorary position at the Department of Sport; he became a full-time employee there in 2008. In 2008, Jacobs served as a coach for the Indonesian men's table tennis team, and in 2009 he competed at the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.

## Para table tennis career

Jacobs began playing in para table tennis tournaments later that year, becoming a member of the National Paralympic Committee in 2010. He competed in Class 10, which is the highest level of functionality in the system. He usually trained with opponents who maintained full functionality. Jacobs himself had a problem with one of his hands.
At the 2010 Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China, Jacobs won a bronze medal. Before the competition, he had only a month to train. He competed in several international tournaments, winning a gold in Thailand, silver in Beijing, bronze in the Czech Republic, silver in the United Kingdom, and gold in Taiwan. At the 2011 ASEAN Para Games in Surakarta, Jacobs won seven gold medals: men's singles (open), men's doubles (open), mixed doubles (open), men's doubles, mixed doubles, team, and single. In January of the following year, Jacobs took on Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in a three-game series. Although the president won one game with a score of 13–11, Jacobs took the series, winning two games with the scores of 11–7 and 11–9. After the competition, Yudhoyono gave a speech on the need to support Indonesia's disabled athletes.
In March 2012, Jacobs won two gold medals at the Protour Paratable Tennis Lignano Open in Italy. In the men's singles, he defeated Ivan Karabec of the Czech Republic with a score of 11–9, 11–7, and 11–8, while in the men's team play, he was paired with Komet Akbar and defeated teams from the Netherlands and Czech Republic. In June he won the Slovakian Table Tennis Tournament, ranking him among the top three in the world.
Jacobs was one of several athletes who represented Indonesia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, with Ni Nengah Widiasih (powerlifting), the swimmer Agus Ngaimin, and an athletics competitor, Setyo Budi Hartanto. Jacobs won the bronze medal in the Table Tennis Men's Individual C10 classification. It was the nation's first Paralympic medal in over twenty years.

## Death

On the night of 27 April 2023, Jacobs was found unconscious near Juanda-Gambir railway in Gambir, Central Jakarta. He was rushed to Husada Hospital, and died there on 28 April 2023, at the age of 45.

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Year | Category | Result |
| AORI | 2012 | Special Award | Placed |
| Golden Award SIWO PWI | 2019 | Favorite Male Para Athlete | Nominated |
| Golden Award SIWO PWI | 2021 | Best Male Para Athlete | Nominated |
| Indonesian Sport Awards | 2018 | Favorite Male Para Athlete Individual | Nominated |
| Indonesian Sport Awards | 2018 | Favorite Male Para Athlete Pairs with Komet Akbar | Won |
| ITTF Star Awards | 2015 | Para Male Star | Won |
| KONI Award | 2013 | Best Athlete | Won |

## Achievements
### Paralympic Games

Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
| 2012 | ExCeL Exhibition Centre, London, Great Britain | José Manuel Ruiz Reyes | 11–9, 7–11, 11–5, 11–6 | Bronze | |
| 2020 | Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Matéo Bohéas | 9–11, 8–11, 11–3, 11–5, 8–11 | Bronze | |

### World Championships

Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
| 2022 | Palacio Municipal de Deportes, Granada, Spain | Patryk Chojnowski | 9–11, 9–11, 7–11 | Silver | |
Men's team
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
| 2014 | Beijing, China | Komet Akbar | Patryk Chojnowski Sebastian Powrozniak Igor Misztal | 2–3 | Bronze | |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
| 2022 | Palacio Municipal de Deportes, Granada, Spain | Hana Resti | Patryk Chojnowski Natalia Partyka | 7–11, 12–10, 9–11, 7–11 | Bronze | |

### Asian Para Games

Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2010 | Asian Games Town Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China | Mohamad Azwar Bakar | 14–12, 11–4, 11–4 | Bronze |
| 2014 | Songdo Global University Gymnasium, Incheon, South Korea | Dinesh Deshappriya Pitiyage Don Silva | 11–6, 11–5, 7–11, 11–9 | Gold |
| 2018 | Ecovention, Jakarta, Indonesia | Lian Hao | 11–4, 7–11, 11–6, 17–15 | Gold |
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
| 2018 | Ecovention, Jakarta, Indonesia | Komet Akbar | Shin Seung-weon Jung Suk-youn | 11–5, 11–7 | Gold | |
Men's team
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
| 2014 | Songdo Global University Gymnasium, Incheon, South Korea | Komet Akbar | Ge Yang Ma Lin Lian Hao Zhao Yi Qing | 0–3 | Silver | |

### Asian Championships

Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2013 | Beijing, China | Ge Yang | 8–11, 11–7, 8–11, 11–6, 5–11 | Silver |
| 2015 | Amman, Jordan | Ge Yang | 11–8, 4–11, 11–9, 13–11 | Gold |
| 2019 | John Paul II Stadium, Taichung, Taiwan | Komet Akbar | 4–11, 11–13, 11–4, 9–11 | Silver |
Men's team
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2013 | Beijing, China | Komet Akbar | Ge Yang Kong Weijie | 1–3 | Silver |
| 2015 | Amman, Jordan | Komet Akbar | Ge Yang Lian Hao | 1–2 | Silver |
| 2019 | John Paul II Stadium, Taichung, Taiwan | Komet Akbar | Lian Hao Mao Shubo | 2–1 | Gold |

### SEA Games

Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
| 2005 | Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Manila, Philippines | Yon Mardiyono | Cai Xiaoli Yang Zi | | Silver | |
| 2007 | Klang Plaza, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand | Yon Mardiyono | Gao Ning Yang Zi | 10–12, 11–7, 7–11, 11–7, 10–12 | Bronze | |
Men's team
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
| 2009 | Convention Hall, Laos National University, Vientiane, Laos | Yon Mardiyono Muhammad Hussein | Phuchong Sanguansin Phakphoom Sanguansin Chaisit Chaitat | 1–3 | Bronze | |

### ASEAN Para Games

Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2011 | Diamond Convention Center, Surakarta, Indonesia | | | Gold |
| 2015 | OCBC Arena, Singapore | Bui Quy Thu | 11–7, 11–2, 11–2 | Gold |
| 2017 | Malaysian International Trade and Exhibition Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Komet Akbar | | Gold |
| 2022 | Solo Techno Park, Surakarta, Indonesia | Komet Akbar | | Gold |
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
| 2011 | Diamond Convention Center, Surakarta, Indonesia | Komet Akbar | Wawan Widiyantoro Supriyatna Gumilang | | Gold | |
| 2015 | OCBC Arena, Singapore | Komet Akbar | Mohamad Azwar Bakar Chee Chaoming | 11–5, 11–3, 11–3 | Gold | |
Men's team
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
| 2015 | OCBC Arena, Singapore | Komet Akbar Bangun Sugito Suwarno | Mohamad Azwar Bakar Chee Chaoming Ahmad Syahrir Bin Mohamad Kamal Saupi | | Gold | |
| 2017 | Malaysian International Trade and Exhibition Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Komet Akbar Bangun Sugito Suwarno | Bunpot Sillapakong Sukij Samee | | Gold | |

### SEATTA Championships

Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
| 2001 | Singapore | Yon Mardiyono | Phuchong Sanguansin Phakphoom Sanguansin | 11–4, 11–4, 11–6 | Gold | |

### ITTF Para Table Tennis Tour

Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2011 | Thailand Open | Jan Brinkmann | 11–7, 11–1, 11–4 | Gold |
| 2011 | China Open | Ge Yang | | Silver |
| 2011 | Taichung TT Open | Karim Boumedouha | | Gold |
| 2012 | Lignano Master Open | Ivan Karabec | 11–9, 11–7, 11–8 | Gold |
| 2012 | Slovakia Open | Lian Hao | | Gold |
| 2013 | Korea Open | Ge Yang | | Gold |
| 2014 | Al Watani Championships | Saber Balah | | Gold |
| 2014 | Romania Open | Denislav Stefanov Kodjabashev | | Gold |
| 2015 | Slovenian Open | Jose Manuel Ruiz Reyes | | Silver |
| 2015 | Thailand Open | Ivan Karabec | | Gold |
| 2016 | Indonesia Open | Mohamad Azwar Bakar | 11–5, 11–9, 9–11, 11–7 | Gold |
| 2017 | Open Ciutat del Prat | Jorge Cardona | | Gold |
| 2017 | Spanish Open | Igor Misztal | | Gold |
| 2017 | US Open | Kim Daybell | 11-9, 9–1, 14-12, 5-11, 14-12 | Gold |
| 2018 | Indonesia Open | Bunpot Sillapakong | | Gold |
| 2018 | Spanish Open | Krisztian Gardos | | Gold |
| 2018 | Copa Tango XVI | Carlos Alberto Carbinatti Junior | 11–5, 11–8, 7–11, 11–2 | Gold |
| 2019 | Egypt Open | Komet Akbar | | Gold |
| 2019 | Czech Open | Igor Misztal | | Gold |
| 2019 | Finland Open | Filip Radovic | | Gold |
| 2019 | Dutch Open | Patryk Chojnowski | | Silver |
| 2022 | Greek Open | Komet Akbar | | Gold |

#### Men's team

| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2011 | Thailand Open | Mohamad Azwar Bakar | Ju Ren-der Lu Wei-chen | 3–1 | Gold |
| 2011 | China Open | Mohamad Azwar Bakar | Ge Yang Lian Hao | 2–3 | Silver |
| 2011 | Czech Open | Ivan Karabec | Iurii Nozdrunov Pavel Lukyanov | 3–0 | Gold |
| 2011 | British Open | Iurii Nozdrunov | José Manuel Ruiz Reyes Jorge Cardona Álvaro Valera | 2–1 | Gold |
| 2011 | Taichung TT Open | Mohamad Azwar Bakar | Ju Ren-der Hsu Chih-shan | 3–0 | Gold |
| 2012 | Lignano Master Open | Komet Akbar | Ivan Karabec Bas Hergelink | 3–1 | Gold |
| 2013 | Bayreuth Open | Komet Akbar | Matéo Bohéas Frederic Bellais | 3–1 | Gold |
| 2013 | Korea Open | Naoya Nagashita | Ge Yang Kong Weijie | 1–3 | Silver |
| 2014 | Al Watani Championships | Ali Alsanea Vladislav Balobanov | Ronald Vijverberg Andrianus Johannes Van Amerongen | | Silver |
| 2014 | Romania Open | Komet Akbar | Denislav Stefanov Kodjabashev Esa Miettinen | 3–1 | Gold |
| 2015 | Slovenian Open | Komet Akbar | José Manuel Ruiz Reyes Juan Bautista Perez Gonzalez | 3–1 | Gold |
| 2015 | Thailand Open | Komet Akbar | Mohamad Azwar Bakar Dinesh Deshappriya Pitiyage Don Silva | | Gold |
| 2017 | US Open | Komet Akbar | Kim Daybell Stacey Joshua | 2–1 | Gold |
| 2018 | Copa Tango XVI | Komet Akbar Kusnanto | Manuel Felipe Echaveguren Farias Alvaro Hernan Vega Gutierrez | | Gold |
| 2019 | Finland Open | Komet Akbar | Matéo Bohéas Gilles de la Bourdonnaye | | Gold |
| 2019 | Dutch Open | Kusnanto | Iurii Nozdrunov Pavel Lukyanov | | Gold |