The German table tennis star Timo Boll has put an exclamation mark in the fight for a place in the German team at the Olympic Games.
At the WTT Contender in Qatar, the 42-year-old prevailed in the semifinals against world number seven Lin Yun-Ju (Taiwan) 3:2 (5:11, 11:4, 7:11, 11:9, 11:5). reaches for an international title on Saturday. The final will be against the Japanese Tomokazu Harimoto.
After a shoulder injury, Boll fell far behind in the world rankings; the European Championship record winner is currently only ranked 182nd. In the fight for an Olympic ticket, Boll has to prove himself against the strong competition from Dimitrij Ovtcharov, Dang Qui and Patrick Franziska. Before Paris, the first highlight of the season is the Team World Championships in Busan/South Korea (February 16th to 25th).
Boll, who wants to take part in the Olympic Games for the seventh time in Paris, has increasingly struggled with injuries in the autumn of his career. Before his recent shoulder injury, he suffered a strained abdominal muscle at the 2021 World Cup in Houston. Despite the injury, Boll won his second individual World Cup bronze there.