The German women won the European team championship in table tennis for the ninth time and thereby qualified early for the 2024 Olympic Games. The men’s team lost the European Championship final.
Ying Han (KTS Tarnobrzeg), Nina Mittelham and Xiaona Shan (both TTC Berlin Eastside) won 3-0 against Romania in the final in Malmö on Sunday (September 17th, 2023) and thereby took surprising revenge for their final defeat at the European Games in July. National coach Tamara Boros’ team didn’t lose a single match at this European Championship. “I’m really proud of my team”said Boros.
Right at the start, Xiaona Shan beat former European singles champion Elizabeta Samara in 3-0 sets. World number ten Ying Han won against Romania’s number one Bernadette Szöcs 3-1. Mittelham completed their title defense with a 3-2 win against Andreea Dragoman after defending two match points.
With their ninth European Championship title, the German women drew level with the previous record winners Hungary. The long-term rivals Germany and Romania met in Malmö for the sixth time since 2002 in a European Championship final. The German team won for the fourth time after 2013, 2015 and 2021.
Men’s team loses to hosts Sweden
The German men’s national team lost the final. After three European Championship titles in a row, Benedikt Duda (Schwalbe Bergneustadt), Timo Boll and Kay Stumper (both Borussia Düsseldorf) lost 3-1 to hosts Sweden.
While the Germans had to do without their three top players Dang Qiu, Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Patrick Franziska at this tournament, the Swedes competed with the two former World Cup finalists Truls Möregardh and Mattias Falck as well as the former double world champion Kristian Karlsson. Möregardh defeated Duda at the start in 3-0 sets. The 42-year-old Boll won the top game against Falck from Werder Bremen 3-2 after being 2-0 down and defending a match point. The Swedes Kristian Karlsson scored against Stumper (3:2) and Möregardh against Boll (3:2).
The Germans were already playing their twelfth European Championship final in a row and their 17th overall. Due to their defeat, they missed their tenth European title and direct qualification for the team competition at the 2024 Olympic Games.