Johanna Grech was born on Workers’ Day, 1 May 1967. She is the daughter of the late Pius Grech and Helen née Alden.
From a young age she showed straight away signs of sport orientation. “Looking back at my childhood days these were full of sports. My mother had to bring up her three children, aged between 10 and 15, all by herself because my father passed away at a young age.”
“Memories are still fresh in my mind although so much time has passed. I remember transforming our garage into a training hall and hopping from one sport to another. From cycling to athletics, basketball to table tennis. But the latter was always a cut above the rest.”
Grech attended schooling at a local Church school before furthering her studies abroad. “I attended St Joseph School and followed up with Sixth Form which I did at the Lucio Classico in Rome since this was part of a sport programme. After I finished my post secondary education I read a Science Diploma at the Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.”
How did Johanna’s interest in table tennis start? Did she fell in love with the sport when still young? “My brothers were very good in the sport being the Under 17 champions and winning other titles. I used to tag along, longing to be trusted to play with the team and trained hard to achieve that position. Way back in 1981/82 my dream came true and I started playing. So, as you can see it was passed on from the family but not forced on me as we had the chance to choose other sports.”
Johanna practised basketball, swimming, cycling and squash; but these were all done in a friendly environment in order to take a break from her main sport and also to help in her improvement.
But how did Grech’s career develop? “My career was a colourful one with all the ups and downs. I started practising at the age of 10. At 13 I was in the Seniors National Team and two years later I won a silver medal in the European teams 3rd Division Seniors. I was the youngest participant and kept this record for the following 15 years.”
“I was crowned Malta champion aged 16, winning the title 21 times in total. In the same year I became champion, I won all the other titles that is the Ladies open, Mixed doubles and Ladies doubles.”
“In 1983 I won the Bronze medal when I participated in the Mediterranean championships Under 17 doubles. Then came my first world championship in which I managed t win some bigger countries and placed as a team in mid-table.”
“At the time I was bought by an Italian club and played for three seasons in 2nd Division representing Latina Roma. I also represented Malta in many other Open tournaments, European and World championships and GSSE until 2007 when I decided to call it a day. My best accomplishments were two gold medals won in the European League Singles. I also consider the Ladies doubles triumph winning Gold in the GSSE another milestone.”
“When I started coaching and helping the Association I was an ITTF certified and national coach. I was also elected as a technical director within the ITTF technical committee. I later moved on to head coach within the Special Olympics Committee.”
Life is all about good and bad times. Looking back what are Johanna’s memories about this? “Thankfully bad experiences are few as every loss is a learning curve. But I must remark that, due to the point system at the GSSE 1995, it was hard to accept when in the Singles groups I had won four out of five matches and lost one in the cross over. As each athlete in the top 3 placing lost one we had to count points and with just one point I was out of the medal zone. I will never forget this episode especially when I saw the player I had beat walking away with silver.”
“Turning onto good experiences, these are when you learn more given the opportunities to play and proof yourself. To mention a few, the Under 15 Elite training camps, growing with the stars of Europe and spending time in Italy in the 80s. Being on my own at a very young age was also part of the learning curve.”
But are there any particular moments during Johanna’s career that she still remembers and maybe made her proud? “A great feeling was when China visited Malta and made an exhibition match. I was chosen to play with the number one in the world in the Under 21 category. The hall was full and most of the people felt sorry for me – the feeling was like a giant playing against an ant. I gave my all and we produced one of the most exciting matches of all time losing 2/1, score 27/25 and hearing the people present with one voice calling Malta, Malta.”
“Another great feeling was the gold medal in the 1997 GSSE. Hearing your national anthem being played, the flag going up and the Olympic committee waiting for you; it takes some seconds to believe it happened.”
“Something that made me proud was when at the Special Olympics World Games we won two gold medals in the boys and girls categories. The feeling when you see the player walking back to you as a champion is amazing.”
Grech dominated local table tennis for a long time. But did she consider herself unbeatable? “Yes, I had a period in which I felt unbeatable, but I never walked out for a match with that feeling. I always had a plan how to win every point, how I train for the biggest moment of the season, how I lift my game plan, setting goals and writing the scores in which next time round I had to improve on them. The unbeatable situation is not easy as you are carrying the weight with every title that you win.”
Grech’s participation in the GSSE is considered as a milestone. “These are wonderful experiences, one of the most fun, supportive but under pressure. When you play you need to win, for your federation and above all the Olympic Committee. So you are facing a challenging scenario. But winning a total of one gold, three silver and four bronze over a span of 12 years, that is six editions, is a good feeling. The meetings and the effort to the games are the best moments of my sport life. Above all mixing with other sports friends who have the same goal.”
Other experiences on the international field worth mentioning are being elected on the World Committee and another positive post is that currently Grech is the deputy chairperson of the European Table Tennis Union for Gender equality.
Though gaining a lot of success, the Sport Malta Awards always eluded Grech. “I think that the lack of PR from my side is the main reason since I have always refused to write about myself and only replied to people that contacted me. I always believed that my achievements are my duties to grow in the sport.”
Grech has been into administration as secretary of the MTTA. How does she rank this experience? “I have been as secretary since 2016. This is an ongoing challenge but I like it as we can improve the game for our youths. Presently, I am deputy chairperson with the ETTU gender equality committee. Also this is a challenge as we need to find the balance for many countries and give equal opportunities to all. I am also a director in the Malta Olympic Committee. There I am also chairperson of the Youth Development Commission. This is a bigger responsibility as many youths, with great challenges and opportunities, fall under my remit. Education in sport is the way to create better sport opportunities for the future of our sport.”
And what’s Johanna’s opinion about today’s level of table tennis in Malta and what is the way forward? “The sport is growing and it’s our responsibility to improve our young generation and getting them to a better place. The quality improved but the demands are also bigger. We used to train in different conditions and never gave up. Today’s kids need it perfect; for the sport it’s good but some hard times are needed in order to create a stronger skin.”
But how is a typical day for Johanna? “I am a director in the Olympic committee, secretary general MTTA , deputy chairperson in the ETTU committees, head coach Special Olympic, national coach, national sport school coach and coordinator, head coach in the international table tennis academy and director of my family international business. My day starts by going to the Olympic Committee, checking in with my team and making sure the work is being done. After that I go to my office and in the afternoon I dedicate time for coaching. Back on my desk, this time at home or maybe a scheduled meeting and after nine I try to be there in front of the TV set relaxing and watching sport.”
Grech, whose favourite food is all types of vegetables, found time to thank her family for being there during her career. “My family played an important role in my life. They supported me throughout and allowed me to work shorter hours every day.”
And what about her favourite travel destination. “For obvious reasons related to table tennis I love China. But turning my attention to Europe, my preferred destination is Barcelona. I also got a soft spot for our sister island, Gozo.”
An interesting fact about Johanna is that as a hobby she likes collecting porcelain figurines. “Yes that is a collection that I cherish. I also love cooking for family and friends.”
And when it comes to relaxation, what does she like most. “Once a week, normally on a Sunday, I walk the dog and totally relax. And my mind is at peace, thinking about the joy of sport.”
Drawing to an end this interview Grech had one final advice to pass on to the young generation. “Sport is a way of life. If you want to make strides in life you need time management, multi-tasking and set goals. And Sport will help you reach these objectives. If you want a sport career, you need to work hard, study the sport and train hard. This will help you in playing abroad, spread your wings and above all forget that you are coming from a small country and need to stand up to be counted.”
“Table tennis players follow champions; now we have the internet to help you watch great games. Set goals like some small countries that will never beat you. Climb the steps by aiming for the highest of steps. Never stop working on your game, take charge of the match and set the game for your opponent.”