European Championships | 1 Oct 2013

No change of plans for Germany

With ambitious goals and new clothing from equipement supplier BUTTERFLY the German national team travels on Wednesday to Schwechat to the LIEBHERR European Championships. Sports Director Dirk SCHIMMELPFENNIG emphasized: “We want to play in all six

With ambitious goals and new clothing from equipement supplier BUTTERFLY the German national team travels on Wednesday to Schwechat to the LIEBHERR European Championships. Sports Director Dirk SCHIMMELPFENNIG emphasized: “We want to play in all six Events for titles and medals.”

For the men’s national coach the cancellation of Timo BOLL is no reason to move away from the goals with the team. ” Nothing is changed on our goals. We want to go as a team championship in the single and double competitions”, says Jörg ROSSKOPF before the first match in the last 16 against Austria.

The German women’s hope after 2007 in Belgrade again for a medal. Actually the protégés of the national coach JIE SCHÖPP are able to reach it. “My players have trained very well. I have the impression that they are on the way to the top of the level. They are also tactically prepared. We have organized video evenings and analyzes the possible opponents in the team quarter-finals”, says SCHÖPP. Their opponents in the quarterfinals could be the defending champion Netherlands, hosts nation Austria or Turkey.

In the individual competition, Dimitrij OVTCHAROV is the top favourite for the title after the cancellation of Timo BOLL. The two-time Olympic third London and sixth in world ranking will be top-seeded in Schwechat. “With the results that I have shown over the last few months, my goal must be to win this tournament”, he said recently in an interview with the magazine “Table tennis”.

OVTCHAROV continues: “I can not go there and say: ‘I’m happy with a third place – because that’s not me.”

In the individual competition, OVTCHAROV should be aware of the competitors from his own team. In the European ranking Patrick BAUM, second at the European Championships in 2010 and 2011, is placed on fourth position in Europe. Bastian STEGER, who won the bronze medal 2012 for the first time in his career, is currently the number eight in Europe. “The level of an EM is very balanced, almost anyone can win against anyone. In the Club there is so far didn’t go so well, the EC is a new challenge again”, Bastian STEGER says.

The EM contingent of the DTTB in overview

Men: Dimitrij OVTCHAROV (Club: Fakel Gazpromâ Orenburg/Russia, 25 year-old, world ranking: 6 – stand: September 2013) Patrick BAUM (Borussia Düsseldorf, 26, world ranking: 21) Bastian STEGER (1. FC Saarbrücken TT, 32, world ranking: 29) Patrick FRANZISKA (TTC RhönSprudel Fulda Maberzell, 21, world ranking: 43) Benedikt DUDA (TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt, 19, world ranking: 247) Ruwen FILUS (TTC RhönSprudel Fulda Maberzell, 25, world ranking: 79)

Men’s team: Dimitrij OVTCHAROV, Patrick BAUM, Bastian STEGER, Patrick FRANZISKA, Ruwen FILUS Men’s singles Dimitrij OVTCHAROV, Patrick BAUM, Bastian STEGER, Patrick FRANZISKA, Benedikt DUDA, Ruwen FILUS Men’s doubles BAUM/STEGER, FRANZISKA/DUDA

Ladies: Kristin SILBEREISEN (ttc berlin eastside, 28, world ranking: 32) Han YING (KTS Zamek Tarnobrzeg/Poland, 30, world ranking: 34) WU Jiaduo (Metz TT/France, 36, world ranking: 34) SHAN Xiaona (ttc berlin eastside, 30, world ranking: 36) Petrissa SOLJA (Linz AG Froschberg, 19, world ranking: 59) Zhenqi BARTHEL (STK Zagreb, 26, world ranking: 55) Sabine WINTER (SV DJK Kolbermoor, 20, world ranking: 115)

Women’s team: Kristin SILBEREISEN, HAN Ying, WU Jiaduo, SHAN Xiaona, Petrissa SOLJA Women’s singles Kristin SILBEREISEN, HAN Ying, WU Jiaduo, SHAN Xiaona, Petrissa SOLJA, Zhenqi BARTHEL Women’s doubles WU/SILBEREISEN, SOLJA/WINTER, SHAN/BARTHEL

Coaches: Dirk SCHIMMELPFENNIG (DTTB Sports Director) Jörg ROSSKOPF (men’s national coach) ZHU Xiaoyong (assistant coach men) Jie SCHÖPP (women’s national coach) WAN Guohui (assistant Coach ladies) Lars HIELSCHER (assistant Coach men’s, only for the individual competition)

Medical staff: Dr. Anthony KASS (team doctor, Düsseldorf) Birgit SCHMIDT (physiotherapist, Olympiastützpunkt Hesse) Markus FISCHER (physiotherapist, Höhr-Grenzhausen)

Organization: Christian BACK (DTTB charge of competitive sports)

Umpires: Klaus SALIM (Düsseldorf), Klemens RANK (Hanau), Hartmut ESSL (Hünfelden)