Member Associations | 6 Sep 2010
2010 LIEBHERR EC: host team ready for the challenge
07/09/2010 – At the 2010 LIEBHERR European Championships in Ostrava Czech men’s team will face three difficult opponents: Germany, Poland and Greece. “The Germans are in Europe similar to Chinese worldwide. To play against them will be e
07/09/2010 – At the 2010 LIEBHERR European Championships in Ostrava Czech men’s team will face three difficult opponents: Germany, Poland and Greece. “The Germans are in Europe similar to Chinese worldwide. To play against them will be extremely difficult. – said national men coach Thomas DEMEK – We like to play against the Poles, they are really good. The strength of Greece is much influenced by the presence or absence of the 15th player in the world, Kalinikos KREANGA.”
Women’s team coach Miroslav CECAVA does not want to talk about the pressure of defending bronze medal from Stuttgart 2009 especially in the light of the fact that the team playing at home. “I think we have a reasonable group and we will certainly fight for the quarterfinals. The girls are experienced and I believe that this fact will resist at home, ” said coach Miroslav CECAVA .
“I consider our group the second hardest. We could also get Germans and uncomfortable Turks. Belarus has traditionally two defenders; next to Victoria PAVLOVIC is DUBKOVA, who we know well from the Czech league where she plays in Breclav. We beat Hungary in Stuttgart, but Hungary has always been a very strong team. The third team in the group is Sweden who are relatively the weakest opponent. ” said CECAVA and warns that the Czech team must precede step by step and think first of the progress of the group.
Semifinalist from the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Petr KORBEL, will be the home team favorite in single’s event. Dmitrij PROKOPCOV showed a good form by winning Prague Open tournament a week ago beating KORBEL in the semifinals and Dmitrij OTVCHAROV from Germany in the finals.
In women’s singles event it will be Renata Strbikova. The entire team except SIRUCEK (who played in Istanbul at the Youth European Championships) trained in Karlova Studanka for one week in July. After that nine nominated players and two players from a larger squad (JANCARIK, J. KLEPRLIK) went to training camp in Vitkovice in August.
“In late August, teams from Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Russia and Austria joined us and gave us great opportunity for excellent sparring. “ said coach Tomas DEMEK.
Group of four VACENOVSKA, HADACOVA, MATELOVA and KUCEROVA completed a three-week camp in China. The first nine days in July they spent in Shanghai, the rest in training camp of the Chinese team in the Tong-chou, about 130 km away from Shanghai and near the town of Nan-Tong. They trained with players of the B-national team of China and other European women. The players spent at the tables around seven hours a day.
Since 27th August to 4th September all the Czech national women? team prepared in the center of the Italian Association near Bolzano with the domestic table tennis players, Spanish and Hungarians. It was great to train together with TOTH, POTA, LOVAS, MONFARDINI, STEFANOVA or Spanish of Chinese origin, SHEN Yanfei and ZHU Fang. After that they continued training in Havirov and from 8th September They should practice two days directly in CEZ Arena. Renata STRBIKOVA spent three weeks in Australia duirng summer.
“It’s definitely one of the highlights of my career. I waited for it for a really long time. I’m glad I will be a part of the team at the European Championships in the Czech Republic, – said the Czech’s no. one Petr KORBEL -.
Germans are the main favorites for the title, but the Poland and Greece can also succeed. Second place in the group is open.So I’m really happy that I’ll be finally able to play before the home crowd. Of course, that if the championships were held here a decade ago, when I was at the top, it would be better. Even so, I’ll do the maximum for the good result.”
Renata STRBIKOVA who will defend last year’s bronze medal from the team competition at the European Championship with Iveta VACENOVSKA and Dana HADACOVA added:” Actually I’m in the team for sixteen years and I am very pleased that I could play before the home crowd. It’s mentally challenging, because at home we will be more under pressure than last year in Stuttgart.
Women’s team (coach Miroslav CECAVA): Iveta VACENOVSKA, Renata STRBIKOVA, Dana HADACOVA, Katerina PENKAVOVA, Martina SMISTIKOVA, Lenka HARABASZOVA and Hana MATELOVA.
Men’s team (coach Tomas DEMEK): Petr KORBEL, Dmitrij PROKOPCOV, Josef SIMONCIK, Tomas KONECNY, Jiri VRABLIK, Tomas TREGLER, Michal OBESLO, Antonin GAVLAS and Pavel SIRUCEK.
(by Katarina PETRIKOVA)
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Photo: Czech player Iveta VACENOVSKA (Photo ROSCHER)
Photo: Czech player Iveta VACENOVSKA (Photo ROSCHER)
