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Like the Babe, Elvis, Oprah and Hillary, the first name is all you need to identify Noga Nir-Kistler, at least in the world of Paralympic table tennis.

She's one of the best in the world in the sport, and the shining light of the Allentown/Lehigh Valley Table Tennis Club at the Allentown YWCA/YMCA, which has become her second home.

Her biggest fans are there, led by her husband and playing partner, Fred Kistler, and wherever she goes in the coming months, she will be representing her club, family and friends.

''It's definitely a privilege to represent the club, Allentown, the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, the U.S., wherever I go,'' she said.

And make no mistake -- Nir-Kistler is going places.

As a member of the U.S. team, she will be participating in the Paralympics in Beijing, China, in early September.

Before then, however, she will play in tournaments in San Diego, Germany and Las Vegas and here in the Lehigh Valley.

She's the No. 1-ranked female Paralympic table tennis player in the world and No. 8 in Class 5 (least handicapped).

She qualified for the Paralympics with her rise in the world rankings after winning two silver medals at the Para Pan-Am Games in Brazil in fall.

Also in 2007, she won three gold medals and three silvers in a major tournament in Argentina and had success in Croatia and at the U.S. Open.

Qualifying for the Paralympics, which are held at the same site as the Olympics every four years, was a dream come true for Nir-Kistler, who has been battling reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), a rare, debilitating disease affecting the nervous system, for nearly a decade.

''It was amazing,'' she said.

She had surgery on her back earlier this year and said she has never felt better.

''I hope I'm done with surgeries because I feel great,'' the wheelchair-bound Nir-Kistler said.

Ask her how many surgeries she has had over the past nine years, Nir-Kistler, who had been a promising swimmer, said simply, ''Too many.''

Knowing what she has been through and how courageously she fought through the adversity makes her an inspiration to those who know her. To them, she's more than one of the best table tennis players in the world -- she's a hero.

''Noga has such an outstanding attitude,'' said Andrew Snyder, a senior at Southern Lehigh who is one of her training partners.

''She's got such great determination, she'll never give up. She has endured so much, but even when she's hurting, she'll never complain. She'll have major surgery and be back playing table tennis here at the club within two weeks.

''My gosh, she's one of the best in the world at this sport. She's in a wheelchair and you wouldn't think she'd have such strength and power, but believe me, she does. And that's through all the work and training she puts into it.''

Nir-Kistler looks at herself as an ambassador for the sport.

Last week, she happily served as an instructor for a youth clinic run by the club.

''Without all of the people here with our club pushing me and helping me, I would have never become the player I am,'' she said. ''Part of me is doing all of this for them. So, I am always happy to help out.''

Financially, Nir-Kistler said she received a grant from Challenge Athletes Foundation (CAF) to help defray the costs for all of the traveling she has done. This year, as a member of the U.S. team, the United States Olympic Committee is covering her costs.

''But CAF really was helpful to me to cover some of my expenses for last year,'' she said. ''With all of the traveling, it gets expensive. I encourage all disabled athletes to look into what they're doing because they can offer support.''

Nir-Kistler is eager to get to China, but knows there's a lot of hard work ahead.

In San Diego, she will train with the three male members of the U.S. Paralympic team. Nir-Kistler is the only female.

''I have my work cut out for me,'' she said. ''The three top players in my class are all from China and they're going to have a home-court advantage. There's also a very good player from Sweden, another from Jordan, and some I've never seen before. There's no doubt I am going to have to raise my level of play. The next five months are going to be important to get me ready.''

Those who know her, don't doubt that she will do well.

''This sport has been so good to me because of the people I've met,'' Nir-Kistler said. ''It's a great sport that anybody can play. That's why we want to get more and more kids involved.

''I've made so many friends and drawn so much inspiration from people through table tennis. I really don't know where I'd be without them, but I know that whenever I play, I have them with me inside and they inspire me to do the very best that I can.''

keith.groller@mcall.com

610-820-6740

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April 20, 2008