Table tennis comeback of the year
German triumphs after two tendon cracks
23.02.2025 – 5:37 p.m.Reading time: 1 min.
In order to come back after two Achilles tendon cracks, a lot of dedication is required for sport. The German national table tennis player Ying Han has proven that.
What a successful return: after two Achilles tendon cracks and more than a year of injury break, Ying Han celebrated an impressive comeback. The German international secured the title at the Europe Top 16 Cup in Switzerland.
After the triumph, Han said: “I wanted to enjoy the game and the spectators today – no matter how it would have turned out. Of course, it is all the more beautiful.” In the semifinals, the 41-year-old prevailed 3-1 against her German teammate Sabine Winter. In the final she met the former European champion Elizabeta Samara from Romania – and won 3-2 in a narrow duel.
For the experienced defender, it is already the third title in this traditional tournament after 2022 and 2023. In her career, she gained numerous successes, including the 2016 Olympic silver medal with the German team and several placements in the top 10 in the world rankings.
Your path back to the top was anything but easy. In January 2023 she tore her right Achilles tendon in Doha, and then the left in Bangkok in July. The serious injuries cost them, among other things, to participate in the Olympic Games in Paris last year.