As Table Tennis started at the 30th Summer Universiade China did not lose a match in both the men’s and women’s event as they won gold at the PalaTrincone in Pozzuoli. In the women’s team final China beat Japan as 3-1 that one game lost to Ando Minami ended up being the only conceded game for China in the entire opening day. The matches are best of five so the first to three games wins. This is the second Universiade for Japanese Ando Minami who started playing table tennis at the age of six years. “This is my second Universiade and I came here for the gold medal but we missed it again ” she said to FISU. “The results are just like two years ago in Taipei 2017 when we lost the team final to Korea. So I feel a little disappointed now.” In the men’s team final China trounced Chinese Taipei 3-0. Chinese Zhu Linfeng who was also a part of the team that won gold in Taipei said “Every Summer Universiade different it is held in a different city I feel great about that.” “It’s an honor to take part in the Universiade and I hope to get a third medal in this event in my hometown- Chengdu. I am waiting for the Chengdu 2021 Summer Universiade.” Women’s Team： Gold- China Silver- Japan Bronze- France Bronze- Russian Federation Men’s Team： Gold- China Silver- Chinese Taipei Bronze- Japan Bronze- Germany More information here
belarus
When the Wall Street Journal dubbed Belarus the emerging ‘Silicon Valley’ of Eastern Europe three years ago the small country with a population of 9.5 million which was often overshadowed by its populous neighbouring states knew it had to do something spectacular to live up to the hefty title. In 2019 the perfect opportunity arose as the country’s capital city Minsk prepared to host the 2nd European Games where the best local technologies would be put on display for the continent – and the world – to see. Belarus did not disappoint. From high-ranking international sports officials to athletes from 50 European states and journalists from around the world – the technological features of the year’s biggest multi-sport event got rave reviews across the board. The Minsk-based IT company Synesis sport has been at the helm of the soft technologies that are used at the 2nd European Games. Founded in 2017 by its parent company Synesis the sport-focused office has provided the bulk of the technological solutions of the Games from the regularly updated Games website and mobile application to the quirky chatbot with the official Games mascot Lesik and back-of-house mechanisms for making the biggest sports event in Belarusian history run smoothly. European Olympic Committees president Janez Kocijancic applauded the various modern technologies used at Minsk 2019: “The success of any multi-sport event is dependent on multiple factors working together seamlessly including technology which has played a critical role here at the 2nd European Games in Minsk. Technology plays a leading role in bringing sports closer to the fans and all the latest innovations have been implemented here to make the sports presentation more attractive on multiple levels. From the website and mobile app delivering information to the public to the accreditation scanners and transport VAPP helping athletes officials and others access venues we have been very pleased with the technical side of Minsk 2019 and applaud the local organisers for a job well done.” Staying in pace with the most advanced technology in the world the Belarusian staff at Synesis sport has developed software platform that supported Games participants before they even arrived in Minsk. Accreditation registration of volunteers and workforce staff – thousands of profiles were kept at the organisers’ fingertips for easy processing thanks to the Games Management System called LOOM. A workload unthinkable even for a building full of workers was made quick and simple thanks to the automated database that put all Games participants on track to fulfill their roles once the anticipated multi-sport event kicked off. Remarkably Synesis sport only started to prepare its programs for the 2nd European Games one year ago when it signed the contract with the Minsk European Games Organising Committee (MEGOC). Simon Clegg executive director of the 2nd European Games commented the Belarusian IT experts on the work done to equip the event with the latest technological tools: “The Minsk 2019 Games Management System developed by leading Belarusian technology company Synesis sport has proved a highly effective tool in the overall management of the highly successful 2nd European Games. Developed with only a very short lead time the robust integrated system has worked extremely well under stressful conditions and will I’m sure be of interest to future event organisers.” By the time the Games participants started coming to Minsk their accreditations were ready and their arrival time was tracked to help with transport to the city centre. The technological platforms were able to keep tabs even on the minute details such as special arrangements for transporting the athletes’ sports equipment. Technology accompanied and helped Games participants every step of the way throughout the 10-day event. Athlete information was sent off to draft entry lists while the volunteers got a database where they could check their training times and work shifts. The LOOM system includes even a special module for tracking incidents and speed up reactions to them. With Belarusian IT gurus running the show organisers could keep their fingers on the pulse of every venue and issue. The venue press manager for the Palova Arena and the Sports Palace Irena Zakurdaeva credited the Belarus-made technology for helping her run operations smoothly at her venues: “Compared to other tournaments that I have worked at I can say that technologies were used profusely in running various operations of the organising committee (in Minsk). The LOOM’s DRS (Daily Run Sheet) module and IMS bot helped me and my colleagues to solve problems quickly while organising the work of the press centre as well as during the operations period.” Spectators and sports fans from around the world got the full feel of the Games thanks to the official website and mobile applications. Four-time Olympic champion Darya Domracheva a star ambassador of the 2nd European Games was among the many avid users of the mobile app during the Games: “The mobile app Minsk2019 was my main app during the whole week of the Games. It helps to quickly find your way around competition events schedules and tournament results. It is irreplaceable in planning your own schedule as a sports fan and an important tool for finding out about the medals won by your favorite team. The interface is simple to navigate helped to find information quickly so I can confidently recommend the app to all true sports fans!” Athletes used the website and mobile app to stay up-to-date on the results of their compatriots in other sports and venues among them the women’s +80kg gold medallist in sambo Anastasiia Sapsai of Ukraine and France’s Brice Leverdez who reached the men’s singles final in badminton. Anastasiia Sapsai said: “Our competitions went on for the whole day so unfortunately we did not have a chance to watch the performances of other members of the national team. This is where the mobile app Minsk2019 saved us. Sitting in the tribunes of the Sports
Czech Republic in last 16 from the top spot in their Group
Junior Girls Team’s Event at the European Youth Championships Ostrava In Junior Girls Team’s Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava Czech Republic took the best from being hosts of the tournament. They are the only team to upset the packing order in the top of the Groups and to book position no. one after being seeded one place below. Russia Italy and Poland justified their rankings and proceed to the knock out phase from the leading positions in their respective groups. Czech Republic overcame top seeded Germany in Group C to book the top spot and today they confirmed the status by overcoming Turkey. In thrilling match that easily could went the other side hosts proved better. “Turkey put us under severe pressure. Ece HARAC overcame Gabriela STEPANOVA in the opening match and then after being 2-0 up in games Zdena BLASKOVA faced recovery from Ozge YILMAZ to 2-2. That made us all nervous and put extra tension. In case of BLASKOVA’s defeat Klara HRABICOVA was next in line to play and that was her first match. By putting her in the match after 0-2 down knowing it is her first appearance at the tournament we could be in danger to lose even whole match. However Zdena managed to finish her duel successfully after five games and Klara was very good against Gamze COTRA” said coach Tomas VRNAK. HRABICOVA showed brave face and succeeded in five games. “I was afraid at the start. It was my first match here but in the second half of the game I felt better. I realized my game was very good and I enjoyed the atmosphere in the venue. It is so nice to play in front of the home crowd ” said HRABICOVA. Germany finished second in that Group to book the place among top 16 teams. “We did not have time to talk a lot about our defeat against Czech Republic. We were focused on our match against Netherlands. I am very pleased with girls’ performance today ” said Germany’s coach Dana WEBER. In Group A Russia confirmed their status and overcame France Serbia and Belarus. France is second with one defeat. “We are very confident. Unlike the results predicts we have few hard moments in our duels but we were ready for it. We lost only one individual match here but lot of games were close ” said Anastasia KOLISH. Poland also justified their position. Today they played against Slovenia the team that surprisingly faced the favorites in the match for the top spot in the Group. Slovenia was seeded at the position no. four in Group B but beat Slovakia and Sweden yesterday. It opened great opportunity to them but Poland showed no mercy. They succeeded in straight matches. “I am very happy for my performance ” stated Anna WEGRZYN.” My sister Katarzyna struggled yesterday and she was very sad about it. Today she managed to play at the top of her game so we had less problems against Slovenia.” Italy is at the top of Group D. Jamila LAURENTI had an opportunity to take a little rest whilst Gaia MONFARDINI Arianna CRISTOBAL and Elisa ARMANINI beat Spain to justified their leading position. Romania finished at he second position. They overcame Croatia today in the match for second place. “It was very hard group. We lost to Italy yesterday. I felt very tired after close match against Spain but today we restored our strength and we continue to fight for medal ” said Tania PLAIAN. Results here Facebook here Twitter here Flickr here Instagram here
Kosovo successfully finished the summer youth camp
Kosovo Table Tennis Association gathered their best 20 cadets and juniors for a intense summer youth camp lead by coach Aleksey Yefremov from Belarus In beautiful city of Ferizaj in the premises of a elementary school Tefik Çanga from 1st of July to 6th of July Kosovo Table Tennis Association organized the summer youth camp for Kosovo’s top cadets and juniors. The main goal of this summer camp was to prepare the Kosovo team for upcoming tournaments including the 62nd Youth Table Tennis Championships that is taking place in Ostrava. Within the framework of the youth camp coach Aleksey Yefremov also held a seminar with the topic “New trends in modern Table Tennis” for trainers and players of KTTA informing them regarding the modern trends in Table Tennis as well as provided the best practices and most advanced tactics of table tennis. In the closing ceremony President of KTTA Mr. Nehat Çitaku thanked the coach Yefremov emphasizing that the camp organizing committee and the KTTA staff are very satisfied with his output and he is more than welcome to come again in Kosovo. Yefremov said that he is very happy to be again in Kosovo after 8 years mentioning the progress that KTTA faced and he would be happy to work again with energetic team of Kosovo Table Tennis Association.
Czech girls made home crowd proud
European Youth Championships in Ostrava In the Junior Girls Team’s Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava Czech team created upset by beating top seeded team in Group D – Germany. Zdena BLASKOVA Linda ZADEROVA and Gabriela STEPANOVAsucceeded against Sohia KLEE Anastasia BONDAREVA and Franziska SCHREINER. BLASKOVA beat both SCHREINER and KLEE. “Germany was the favorite here and I am very happy that we managed to beat them. My win over KLEE is also very important for my confidence. She beat me recently 4-0. That is why I changed my tactics; I tried something different and I succeeded ” said BLASKOVA. STEPANOVA admitted that she wanted to avoid KLEE so coach Tomas VRNAK shuffled the line up and put her at position no. three. Germany’s coach Dana WEBER had similar approach so she also changed the order of players. “Eventually it came good for us. I beat BONDAREVA and I am so happy for that ” said STEPANOVA. Previously Czech Republic overcame Netherlands whilst Germany succeeded against Turkey. Unchanged from last season silver medalists team of Russia in Junior Girls Event had a good start at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava. Mariia TAILAKOVA Anastasia KOLISH and Kristina KAZANTSEVA overcame Serbia before they succeeded against France. Isa COK Camille LUTZ and Julie PENNEC lost in three matches. In the opening round France beat Belarus. Twin sisters from Poland Anna and Katarzyna WEGRZYN with Aleksandra MICHALAK overcame Slovakia before they beat Sweden’s Jennie EDVINSSON Rebecca MUSKANTOR and Alma ROOSE. Italy was the only top seeded team in the Group that was forced to go full distance in the opening round. Croatia’s Klara BARDIC Marta VUKELIC and Sara SUSAC put Jamila LAURENTI Gaia MONFARDINI and Valentina RONCALLO under severe pressure. Against Romania it was also a difficult match but Italy prevailed 3:1. Tania PLAIAN overcame MONFARDINI; LAURENTI beat both Luciana MITROFAN and PLAIAN. In Cadet Girls Team’s Event Romania’s Elena ZAHARIA Ioana SINGEORZAN justified their top position but not without difficulties. Hungary’s Dorottya TOLGYES Anna VOLENTICS and Kira BALOGH put severe pressure on favorites. In Group B Russia’s Vlada VORONINA and Alina ZAVARYIKINAbeat Ukraijne and Portugal whilst top seeded team in Group C France prevailed against Poland and Belgium. In Group D Geramny created the upset. Naomi PRANJKOVIC Annett KAUFMANN and Jele STORTZ beat Croatia. Haanna LONCAREVIC and Hana ARAPOVIC scored against Czech Republic. Results here Facebook here Twitter here Flickr here Instagram here
Russia in great shape in Ostrava
European Youth Championships in Ostrava Title holders from 2018 Cluj Napoca Russia’s Vladimir SIDORENKO Maksim GREBNEV and Lev KATSMAN recorded two wins at the opening day of the European Youth Championships in Ostrava Czech Republic. In Group A Russia prevailed against Switzerland in the morning session. They recorded straight matches win. Against Italy they needed four matches. Carlo ROSSI overcame KATSMAN but SIDORENKO in another five games thriller prevented him of pushing Italy into the decisive match. During the last ball i saw it was edge my adversary saw it as well but referee not. Something similar happened to me last year on European championship. It was 2:2 11:10 and I was to emotional then I apologised to referee ” explained Vladimir SIDORENKO the controversial moment of his match against ROSSI. “During all the matches I was focusing on my game didn’t speak with my teammates with my coaches.” Azerbaijan was in charge for surprises in same group. They are also unbeaten after two matches. Seeded only at the position no. three in Group A Azerbaijan beat Italy in the full distance duel. Carlo ROSSI and John OYEBODE scored for Italy whilst YANG Xinyu YU Khinhang and WANG Chenxi all contributed to Azerbaijan’s victory. In the second match they overcame Switzerland. “Next match against Azerbaijan will be very difficult because there are China-born players playing. We need to maintain the focus listen to our coach and then we can win ” said SIDORENKO. In Group B Vincent PICARD Lilian BARDET and Myshaal SABHI overcame Slovakia but top seeds failed to repeat the success against Germany. Kirill FADEEV Kay STUMPER and Dominik JONACK were stretched to full distance before they recorded second victory of the day. They left the venue as top team at the group standings. In the first round they beat Romania who also lost against Slovakia. “I am very happy that we defeat the European champions from last year it is unbelievable. Every match was very close and at the end we were little bit luckier. I think we beat France because in the close situations we all made good decisions the coach gave us the right advices. The first day was very hard we are tired but we will relax and give 100% for tomorrow to win again ” said KaySTUMPER. In Group C top seeded Poland overcame Spain. Maciej KUBIK SAMJUEL KULCZYCKI and Jan ZANDECKI prevailed in straight matches. They also beat Hungary but not before they were under severe pressure. Csaba ANDRAS gave Hungary a dream start with the victory over KUBIK and he also beat KULCZYCKI but it was insufficient to secure the victory. Spain’s Francisco Miguel RUIZ Alberto LILLO and Marc GUTIERREZ beat Denmark. “My adversary in last match played very well fast and his service was good. After second game I started to serve better and my game improved. From the two games the first one was harder for me. I am still getting used to this hall and I believe I will play better in the next days. For tomorrow we as a whole team need to stay focused ” said Maciej KUBIK . In Group D everything went according to rankings in the opening round. Belgium’s Adrien RASSENFOSSE Olav KOSOLOSKY and Nicolas DEGROS overcame Serbia but on their second exit to the table Sweden had other plans. Jonatan MCDONALD Truls MOREGARD and Martin FRIIS prevailed to record second win on the day. They also overcame Greece. Truls MOREGARD won both matches but both of them started with lone game in reverse. “Honestly I don’t know. But it was my first game here and the first practice as well first time with the new balls. I play lot of tournaments in Asia know with different balls and I am little bit tired now but it is always nice to win these matches. I hope I will play better in next days. I have a lot of energy and I will fight for Sweden to win the group ” promised MOREGARD. In Cadet Boys Team’s Event Poland created upset by beating top seed in Group D Belgium in the opening match. Dawid KOSMAL Milosz REDZIMSKI went full distance before they overcame Louis LAFFINEUR and GILTIA. Dawid won both his singles and doubles match. Results here Facebook here Twitter here Flickr here Instagram here
Xu Xin and Chen Meng sweep titles at Seamaster 2019 ITTF World Tour Korea Open
They are ranked first in the world for a reason. Chinese stars Xu Xin and Chen Meng entered the Seamaster 2019 ITTF World Tour SHINHAN Korea Open as the most in-form players in international table tennis. They now leave Busan with their positions at the top of the tree in the men’s and women’s game firmly consolidated after picking up gold in their respective singles and doubles events. Xu defeated Ma Long (CHN) over five games (7-11 11-6 11-9 11-7 11-8) in a match that showcased some of the most spectacular shots and rallies across the six-day event. This was champagne table tennis at its finest the range of strokes and lightning-speed reactions underlining just why the iconic duo has been the bedrock of Team China over the years. For Xu his impressive comeback victory ended a run of four consecutive defeats to ‘The Dragon.’ He had lost a total of 20 matches and won just eight against the reigning world champion heading into this contest his excitement at full-time understandably high: “Winning the title is not the reason I am feeling so happy. It’s because I beat Ma Long ” was all he needed to say to convey his raw emotions during his on-court interview. Xu who rose to the world no.1 position last week holds the record for Korea Open titles (four) and has now won at back-to-back events having scooped gold at the Japan Open in June. He is very much the man to beat at next week’s Australian Open in Geelong. There can be no doubt that Chen Meng is a natural-born winner. The women’s world no.1 overpowered no.3 Ding Ning (CHN) from the outset of Sunday’s final charging to a 3-0 lead in no time at all. Reigning Olympic champion Ding pulled back a game and put up a serious fight in the fifth. However she was unable to complete what would have been an incredible comeback as Chen saw out the 4-1 victory (11-5 11-6 11-5 7-11 11-9) to celebrate her third ITTF World Tour women’s singles title of 2019 following wins in Hungary and China. In terms of mental strength the 25-year-old is up there with the greats. Her record in women’s singles finals on the ITTF World Tour now sits at 12 wins from 15 appearances: a simply outstanding feat. Despite a disappointing end to her campaign in Busan the Korea Open marked something of a revival for 29-year-old Ding who reached her first women’s singles title on the ITTF World Tour since last August’s Bulgarian Open. Not for the first time Xu Xin and Chen Meng were also dominant across the doubles competitions which reached their climax on Saturday. Xu sealed gold in the men’s doubles alongside Fan Zhendong after an emphatic 3-0 victory (11-9 11-7 11-6) over Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu (KOR). The 29-year-old also partnered Liu Shiwen to silver in the mixed doubles their incredible unbeaten record finally coming to an end in their 23rd match since linking up last November. Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem (HKG) celebrated gold instead after their 3-1 triumph (11-9 11-8 6-11 13-11). Meanwhile Chen tasted success in the women’s doubles alongside Wang Manyu who defeated Choi Hyojoo and Yang Haeun (KOR) in consecutive but hard-fought games (12-10 15-13 11-6). It was always going to be difficult for the hosts to replicate the ecstatic scenes of last year’s Korea Open when Jang Woojin (KOR) celebrated an historic triple crown. This year Jang was forced to withdraw from the tournament on Friday due to a toe injury sustained against compatriot Jeoung Youngsik. As chance would have it this symbolised something of a passing of the baton to Jeoung now entrusted with the hopes of his nation. He shouldered the responsibility brilliantly. The 27-year-old caused arguably the biggest upset of the tournament in Saturday’s quarter-final defeating world no.3 Fan Zhendong in six scintillating games (11-5 9-11 8-11 13-11 11-9 12-10). He also ruffled the feathers of the legendary Ma Long in Sunday’s semi-final drawing the scores level at 1-1 before going on to lose the next three games not without a fight (7-11 11-5 7-11 6-11 9-11). Jeoung’s brave performances never failed to convert the Sajik Indoor Gymnasium into a cauldron of noise. The electric atmosphere conjured up by Korea’s passionate fans bodes very well for when Busan hosts next year’s World Table Tennis Championships at the BEXCO. The other beaten semi-finalist in the men’s singles was Wang Chuqin (CHN). The 19-year-old ranked 71st in the world impressed throughout the event defeating the far higher positioned Lin Yun-Ju (TPE) Marcos Freitas (POR) and Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN) before eventually losing to Xu Xin over six hard-fought games (11-8 18-20 7-11 7-11 11-5 5-11). The eventual champion was quick to praise the teenage talent who surely has a bright future in the sport: “Wang Chuqin is very young and has been playing very well. I believe that he will continue to grow and leave a positive mark in the Chinese team.” As is fast becoming the custom Sun Yingsha (CHN) reached the latter stages of a major event again after staging a most eye-catching comeback victory over Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN) in the quarter-finals (10-12 8-11 11-8 9-11 11-3 11-6 13-11). As chance had it the 19-year-old was on the receiving end of Ding Ning’s fightback in Sunday’s semi-final leading 3-1 before losing 4-3 (11-8 5-11 11-8 11-9 8-11 6-11 8-11). Now at the halfway stage of the 2019 ITTF World Tour the next stop will take the globe’s best players to Geelong for the Seamaster 2019 ITTF World Tour Platinum Australian Open. Do not miss the action! Stay up to date on ITTF.com watch live matches on itTV and be entertained on ITTF social:Facebook Instagram Twitter Youtube and Weibo.
europeanveteranschampionships
European Veterans Championships , , European Veterans Table Tennis Championships concluded today. The curtains fall to arena in Budapest that saw the the fierce battles this week. The competition was sealed with many surprise wins. Italy’s Min YANG had the consolation in silver, whilst Ivan VISKEK proudly took gold in front of home crowd in Men’s Singles over 50 category. In Men’s over 60 Miroslav CECAVA of Czech Republic was not on the top of the medal rostrum. He was only third behind János KOVÁCS of Hungary and Manfred NIESWAND of Germany. For a first time in this century in Women’s Singles over 85 Germany’s Marianne BLASBERG lost her singles. From 1999 she won 10 European titles in a row. She lost her crown to Betty BIRD of England. , Flash quotes by Flora KALOCSAI Rita Hajduska(HUN), WD40: ’We didn’t expect that result, but it feels really great for us to win at home. Our adversaries were hard to beat; we played good matches against each other. We tried keep our confidence until the very end, and it earned us success.’ Márton Marsi(HUN), MD40: ’Victory in front of our own supporters feels fantastic, they have created a wonderful atmosphere here, in the BOK Hall. It was good to see, how many spectators are excited about us, even if we are veterans. Our key to success was to keep focusing on the matches, after one another, and to take only one step at a time.’ Olga Nemes(GER), WD50: ‘In Budapest I always feel like home, I love being here. We were ranked as first before the tournament, however, this wasn’t an easy way to the gold at all. I was surprised by the enthusiasm of the spectators, because I didn’t expect so many people to come here, and see us, ‘old’ women and men playing against each other.’ Min Yang(ITA), MD50: ‘We are very happy to have won this championship, as it was not an easy one. Hungary has a special place in my heart for years now, so it gives an even greater taste to this victory.’ Marianne Blasberg(GER), WD85: ‘I have seen many cities in the world, but Budapest is one of the most wonderful ones. It’s special to play here, especially victory feels fantastic. I think the Hungarian capital couldn’t have been a better host to this event.’ Georg Karlsson(SWE), MD85: ‘It was great playing in Hungary. I slept very well for days, but yesterday was a bit difficult for me at night. Fortunately, my partner is ranked first in our age category, so he’s the best player in the world right now. I just had to help him. We will meet as opponents in the singles’ finals, so I hope, I can be better than him this time.’ Katalina Gatinska(BUL), WS40: ‘This was my first time on a veteran championship. I can say, I am pretty satisfied with the results, it’s very good to be the winner as a first-time-player here.’ Cédric Merchez(BEL), MS40: ‘At one point I thought that the match was over and I lost. Then I came back, got back my confidence and grabbed the possibility to win. It was incredible to win, my week was crowned today.’ Olga Nemes(GER), WS50: ‘I was hoping to win the singles, as well, but I couldn’t be 100% sure about it. It makes me think about the good old days, and I feel younger again. Hungary has a special place in my heart, so these two medals mean so much to me.’ Betty Bird(ENG), WS85: ‘This is my first time winning the European Championships, and it’s very special, after we won the doubles with Marianne, as well. I was world champion beforehand, but this medal will have a special place in my heart forever. This championship was like a trip for me, I could do what I love while enjoying the famous Hungarian hospitality.’ Kai Merimaa(FIN), MS85: I have won many medals in singles, but not in doubles so it’s a new feeling winning two gold medals on one championship. Especially because in my age category there are only great players, it’s not easy to beat one another. Budapest was a great host city, however, the weather for me is a bit warm, it was a great challenge for me throughout the week.’ European Veterans Table Tennis Championships 2019 July 1 – July 6, 2019 Budapest, Hungary Final Standings Women’s Singles over 40: 1 Katalina GATINSKA (BUL) 2 Krisztina SPENGLER (HUN) 3 Erika ACKERMANN (HUN) 3 Tatiana IVANOVA (RUS) Consolation: 1 Andrea RÁKOS DOHNÁL (HUN) 2 Margarita JUDINA (LAT) Women’s Singles over 50: 1 Olga NEMES (GER) 2 Yue Xia WANG FRIDÉN (SWE) 3 Dorota BORKOWSKA (POL) 3 Ina JOZEPSONE (LAT) Consolation: 1 Geneviève ROSCONVAL-MARENGUE (FRA) 2 Beate KOCH (1965) (GER) Women’s Singles over 60: 1 Branka BATINIC (CRO) 2 Larissa FARINA (RUS) 3 Kai THORNBECH (EST) 3 Natasa DEMIROVA (SVK) Consolation: 1 Sabine DITTMER (GER) 2 Fanuza ISKAROVA (RUS) Women’s Singles over 65: 1 Dina MINAKOVA (RUS) 2 Larisa ANDREEVA (RUS) 3 Gerda KUX-SIEBERATH (GER) 3 Márta NÉMETH (HUN) Consolation: 1 Vera TÕSJATOVA (EST) 2 Heike PELIKAN (GER) Women’s Singles over 70: 1 Ursula KRÜGER (GER) 2 Christel LOCHER (GER) 3 Gizella ZACHER (HUN) 3 Penelope PERRY (ENG) Consolation: 1 Waltraut WEISS (AUT) 2 Tiborné KUN (HUN) Women’s Singles over 75: 1 Jutta BARON (GER) 2 Edda Christa WASSERMEYER-DELEKAT (GER) 3 Christa GEBHARDT (GER) 3 Ruth SCHNEIDER (GER) Consolation: 1 Rosemarie STROHMEYER (GER) 2 Birgit DECHRING (GER) Women’s Singles over 80: 1 Gertrud MIKYSKA (AUT) 2 Heidi WUNNER (GER) 3 Hannelore KAYSSER (GER) 3 Sylvia TYLER (ENG) Consolation: 1 Janet HUNT (ENG) 2 Audrey ROBINSON (ENG) Women’s Singles over 85: 1 Betty BIRD (ENG) 2 Marianne BLASBERG (GER) 3 Martha WILLKE (GER) 3 Sigrid MATTHIAS (GER) Consolation: 1 Ragnhild LUNDBERG (SWE) 2 Margit SCHIEDER (AUT) Women’s Doubles
PIGGOTT replaces WILSON in England squad
2019 STAG European Youth Championships, Ostrava, July 7-16, Ben PIGGOT has been called into England’s 2019 STAG European Youth Championships squad in place of the injured Sam WILSON. Table Tennis England announced this change in its team two days prior to the event to be open this Sunday in the Czech city of Ostrava. The Ormesby TTC player was unlucky to miss out on selection for the Cadet Boys’ team, which was filled by automatic qualifiers, and also narrowly missed out on wildcard selection to WILSON and Shayan SIRAJ for the original Junior line-up. England line-up for Ostrava: Cadet Boys: Louis PRICE, Naphong BOONYAPRAPA, Thomas RAYNER Cadet Girls: Ruby CHAN, Millie ROGOVE, Mari BALDWIN Junior Boys: Ethan WALSH, Shayan SIRAJ, Ben PIGGOTT Junior Girls: Denise PAYET, Megan GIDNEY, Mollie PATTERSON, Charlotte BARDSLEY More information: here
Champions return, the competition as strong as never
European Veterans Championships, Outstanding performances on the 13th Veteran Table Tennis Championships 2019, there are so much players in very good shapes. Eric DURAND (fra), the veteran champion at 40 years category recorded victories both in Men’s Singles, and partnering Hervé DURAND (FRA) in Men’s Doubles respectivly. Similarly, Csilla BÁTORFI the Women’s Singles was excelled, she accounted for German Ute BRANDES (11-4, 11-1, 11-4). BÁTORFI is to be in round of 64, however Panagiotis STERGIOPOULOS (GRE) was beaten, thus he could not continue the championships. Everyone’s favorite the famous Betty BIRD (ENG) and her partner Marianne BLASBERG (GER), at the category of 85 over, accounted for 4 matches, and they are the tops names in their group. Meanwhile, in the first rounds of the Men’s Singles event Anders KARLSSON added to Swedish success by beating the Czech Petr CHMEL (11-5, 11-6, 11-4), the German Dietmar SCHLOTTNER in straight games (11-7, 11-5, 11-8) and win by walk over against the German Torsten WINTER. On Wednesday the participants could participate some different interesting trips including a Danube bend tour and Balaton tour. During the whole day programmes, the participants had the opportunities to visit the famous monuments all around the country. The organizers provided the opportunity to meet with the Golden team member during the social event on Wednesday evening. Good feeling, pleasant atmosphere and cheerfulness! With these words, we could explain the social event, where the participants could meet, talk, and have a good time together. And for those in the know, Hungary has some of the best, tastiest foods in the world. Spicy, rich and an extravaganza of different flavours, Hungary’s cuisine is a delicious and surprising discovery for many travellers to the country. Developed over thousands of years of Magyar history, traditional dishes continue to be part of a proud and abundant cultural heritage. They celebrated the competition with people with passion for table tennis while they were enjoying the Hungarian traditions. , Pia TOELHØJ, Petra SÖRLING
