The German Olympic silver medallists prevailed in the Men’s Team
event at the Liebherr European Championships. The defending champion
overcame Belarus with 3-2.
An outstanding Vladimir Samsonov
won two matches for Belarus and put a huge pressure on the shoulders
Germany’s youngster Dimitrij Ovtcharov, but it was not enough.
"Biggest Pressure I’ve ever had"
The
title for the probably best European country at the present time is
deserved. Although Belarus’ number one Vladimir Samsonov beat Germany’s
Dimitrij Ovtcharov as well as Timo Boll with 3-0, the German team
proved to have a higher level after all.
Bastian Steger was the
better number three winning 3-0 against Evgueni Chtchetinine. Only a
miracle in the last match could have brought the title for the
Belarusians because Vitaly Nekhvedovich was the clear underdog against
Dimitrij Ovtcharov.
"That was an enormous pressure", 20 year
old Ovtcharov confessed. "I am the number 14 and he is number 161. When
I lose that match, it’s a disaster! That was probably the biggest
pressure I’ve ever had."
Second Title for the Team of the Future
The
team of national coach Richard Prause is taking more and more the role
of Europe’s flagship. One year ago, they won their first European team
title. At the Olympic Games in Beijing, the silver medal in the team
event was the only European medal at all; and now the Germans defended
the European title not even two months after the Olympic Games.
"One
always says that it is more difficult to defend a title than to win it
the first time", 27 year old Bastian Steger philosophised. "That’s how
it felt this time." With Timo Boll (27), Dimitrij Ovtcharov (20),
Christian Süss (23) and Patrick Baum (21) the German men’s team might
reign for several more years.
For Samsonov (32), Chtchetinine
(38) and Nekhvedovich (33) the future does not look that bright. No
other Belarusian player is among the top 300 in the ITTF World Ranking
compared to 16 (!) Germans. "That was an excellent team effort again
today", Steger said. As long as the team spirit is alright, Prause’s
squad is only very hard to beat.
Source: www.ittf.com
