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SWAYTHLING<br />
Issue No. 107 <strong>October</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
The First Professional<br />
The Racket Revolution<br />
World Table Tennis Day Grows<br />
Milestones for Brazil<br />
Success at First<br />
Fighting Spirit Unrivalled<br />
The Last Match<br />
Career Ends on High Note<br />
The Forgotten<br />
World’s First Table<br />
Tennis Shoe<br />
Budapest reflections: when<br />
did it last happen?
SWAYTHLING<br />
Issue No. 107 <strong>October</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
Editor<br />
Ian Marshall<br />
Sub Editor<br />
Richard Scruton<br />
Contributors<br />
Bengt Ahli, Nelson Ayres, Colin<br />
Clemett, Philip Eggersgluess, Benoît<br />
Glorieux, Chuck Hoey, Pierre Juliens,<br />
Anton Lehman, Vladimir Mirsky,<br />
Wiebke Schieffer, Robert Szentgörgyi,<br />
Gloria Wagener, Diane Webb<br />
Photographers<br />
Adewale Adeyemo, Jerome Chinedu,<br />
Getty Images - Matt Roberts, Rémy<br />
Gros, Chuck Hoey, ITTF Foundation,<br />
Richard Kalocsai, Leon Libin, Chris<br />
Petkov, Table Tennis England, Table<br />
Tennis Legends, Tang Xiao Yu,<br />
Vladimir Mirsky, Diane Webb<br />
Printer<br />
Anton Hamran<br />
Designer<br />
Jeff Tokaz<br />
next issue<br />
Closing date for contributions for the next issue (no.108) is Monday 3rd<br />
February 2020. Kindly send to: claude.bergeret@fftt.email, gloriawagsci67@web.de<br />
or rcsettu@pt.lu<br />
Contents<br />
Official News..............................................................................................4<br />
The First Professional ................................................................................8<br />
The Last Match, Career Ends on High Note...........................................16<br />
Fighting Spirit Unrivalled.......................................................................20<br />
The Racket Revolution............................................................................24<br />
Success at First ........................................................................................28<br />
Budapest Reflections, when did it last happen?....................................30<br />
Milestones for Brazil .................................................................................38<br />
The Forgotten World’s First Table Tennis Shoe.......................................42<br />
World Table Tennis Day Grows..............................................................46<br />
InMemoriam............................................................52<br />
Memorable Months.................................................................................56<br />
Worldwide...............................................................62<br />
Time of Legends<br />
China’s Ma Long emerged the men’s<br />
singles winner at the Liebherr <strong>2019</strong><br />
World Championships in Budapest;<br />
thus alongside Victor Barna and<br />
Zhuang Zedong became the only player<br />
to win the event on three consecutive<br />
occasions. The success means<br />
that he is now firmly a legendary figure<br />
in what has been a time of legends.<br />
woman to win gold at a World Championship<br />
became the Secretary.<br />
2<br />
Earlier in the month of April, we<br />
marked 100 years since the birth of<br />
Richard Bergmann; then in May Jean-<br />
Michel Saive played his last match.<br />
Both players, who during their illustrious<br />
careers, at some stage could lay<br />
claim to being the best in the world.<br />
Equally, within the <strong>Swaythling</strong> Club<br />
Executive Committee, renowned<br />
names assumed office; Ebby Schöler<br />
returned to the role of President,<br />
Claude Bergeret, the only French<br />
3
OFFICIAL NEWS<br />
New look for Executive Committee<br />
Beverley Godfrey Diane Schöler Ebby Schöler<br />
The Executive Committee (left to right) Harvey Webb, Reto Bazzi, Claude Bergeret,<br />
Ebby Schöler, Richard Scruton<br />
Elected by acclamation, Ebby Schöler<br />
returned to the role of President, a<br />
position he had held previously from<br />
2013 to 2018, when at the Annual<br />
General Meeting in Halmstad, he had<br />
stood down in favour of Öivind Eriksen<br />
and assumed the role of Deputy<br />
President.<br />
Reto Bazzi continues in the role of<br />
Rules Expert, the remaining members<br />
of the Executive Committee being new<br />
to office. After years of loyal and most<br />
appreciated service, alongside Öivind<br />
Eriksen, Gloria Wagener tendered her<br />
resignation as Secretary, a position<br />
she had held since 1997 when she<br />
succeeded Diane Schöler who became<br />
President. Diane Schöler, who<br />
followed Ferenc Sido, remained in<br />
office until 2013 when handing over<br />
the reins to husband Ebby.<br />
However, Gloria Wagener is not lost<br />
to the <strong>Swaythling</strong> Club; she becomes<br />
the Special Advisor to the Membership<br />
Committee, being the contact for<br />
the database.<br />
Similarly, a long standing servant<br />
Werner Schnyder ended his tenure of<br />
office as Treasurer. Newcomers, Harvey<br />
Webb assumes the role of Deputy<br />
President, Claude Bergeret fulfils the<br />
position of Secretary; Richard Scruton<br />
shoulders the task of Treasurer.<br />
Notably, membership is one of only<br />
two sub-committees retained in a<br />
major overhaul; the other being the<br />
World Veteran Championships. Chair<br />
of the World Veteran Championships<br />
is Hans Westling; Reto Bazzi is the<br />
Director with members being Ina<br />
Jozepsone alongside a representative<br />
to be nominated by the International<br />
Table Tennis Federation.<br />
Gloria Wagener becomes the Special<br />
Advisor to the Membership Committee<br />
Familiar faces at the<br />
Annual General<br />
Meeting<br />
Gizella Zacher Harvey Webb Jochen Leiss<br />
The Annual Meeting<br />
Zdenko Krisz<br />
James Morris<br />
Milan Stencel<br />
Teri Földy<br />
The Annual General Meeting was<br />
staged on Thursday 25th April on<br />
the occasion of the Liebherr <strong>2019</strong><br />
World Championships in Budapest.<br />
The room in the Hungexpo stadium<br />
was full to capacity with some 50<br />
members being present; later all were<br />
able to exchange memories at a most<br />
welcome reception.<br />
Öivind Eriksen announces he is standing<br />
down from position of president<br />
Vivek Kohli<br />
Pierre Juliens<br />
Zbynek Spacek<br />
Werner Schnyder<br />
4<br />
5
Bordeaux journey: the 2020 World Veteran Championships<br />
• In May 2015 at the Qoros World<br />
Championships, Bordeaux won the<br />
bid ahead of Kobe, Doha, Suwon<br />
and Las Vegas.<br />
• After winning the bid, members of<br />
the organising committee attended<br />
the World Veteran Championships<br />
in 2016 in Alicante and 2018 in Las<br />
Vegas, as well as the European<br />
Veteran Championships in <strong>2019</strong> in<br />
Budapest.<br />
1,500 registrations were received.<br />
The limit was raised from 4,600<br />
to 5,000 players. The entry is<br />
full; there is a waiting list of 1,300<br />
players.<br />
• Entries feature 1,172 players<br />
from France, 1,170 from Germany,<br />
220 from Japan, 165 from Spain<br />
and 160 from England; also there<br />
130 entrants from Australia, 116<br />
from Belgium and 110 from India.<br />
• Based on 5,000 players, it is<br />
anticipated that 18,000 matches<br />
will be played, 6,000 balls will be<br />
used, 200 officials will be present.<br />
Some 200 volunteers will be in<br />
attendance.<br />
• To date approaching 200 umpires<br />
have volunteered their services,<br />
in particular from China, Germany,<br />
India, Japan, Sweden and the<br />
United States.<br />
Oman host for 2022<br />
World Veteran<br />
Championships<br />
Oman won the bid to host the 2022<br />
World Veteran Championships, they<br />
finished ahead of the one further candidate,<br />
Malaysia.<br />
• Throughout there has been close<br />
co-operation with the French Table<br />
Tennis Federation and the Ligue<br />
Nouvelle-Aquitaine de Tennis de<br />
Table.<br />
• The organising committee comprises<br />
some 15 volunteers with a<br />
wide range of professional knowledge<br />
from information technology<br />
to accountancy and expertise in<br />
the subject of wine, essential for<br />
the region!<br />
• Further volunteers have enrolled<br />
from local clubs.<br />
• Some 1,200 rooms have been<br />
booked with the Accor Hotel Group<br />
– Pullman, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis.<br />
• Everything is ready, just waiting<br />
for the draw. Transport, catering,<br />
partners, venue management,<br />
registration, accreditation, sightseeing,<br />
guest welcome, website,<br />
answering questions; they are all<br />
in place.<br />
• Volunteers are working in a<br />
professional way; they have great<br />
experience in organising local and<br />
national championships for 300 to<br />
500 players but now 5,000; it’s a<br />
different scale.<br />
• Registration opened at midnight<br />
on Thursday 28th February. In the<br />
first minute of Friday 1st March, 10<br />
registrations had been received. At<br />
the end of the day 200 had been<br />
submitted.<br />
• During the first week of July,<br />
6<br />
• Overall, 80 national associations<br />
are represented, players travelling<br />
from as far afield as Azerbaijan,<br />
Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala,<br />
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,<br />
Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria,<br />
Palestine, Peru, Russia, South<br />
Africa, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.<br />
• Approximately, 1,500 accompanying<br />
personnel are expected;<br />
some 26 per cent of the entrants<br />
are women.<br />
• Notably, 1,200 personnel have<br />
arranged their visit with a tour operator<br />
or an organisation managed<br />
by their national association. They<br />
include Australia, China, Chinese<br />
Taipei, Czech Republic, England,<br />
Germany, Japan, Korea Republic<br />
and Sweden.<br />
• The oldest participant is Hong<br />
Kong’s Yuet Yu Wa. She is 96<br />
years old.<br />
• The star name for the host country<br />
is Jacques Secretin, the 1976<br />
European champion.<br />
• The equipment partner is Gewo;<br />
they will be represented by three<br />
ambassadors: Aleksandar Karakasevic,<br />
Dimitry Mazunov and Sylvia<br />
Khan.<br />
• Two venues will be used, the Velodrome:<br />
36 tables; the Exhibition<br />
Centre: 152 tables. In addition 40<br />
tables will be available for practice<br />
and five kilometres of court surrounds<br />
will be erected.<br />
<strong>Swaythling</strong> Club<br />
Invitations<br />
2020 World Veteran Championships<br />
The organisers of the 2020 World<br />
Veteran Championships in Bordeaux,<br />
to be staged from Monday<br />
8th to Sunday 14th June, extend<br />
invitations to 10 <strong>Swaythling</strong> Club<br />
members to compete in what promises<br />
to be a record breaking tournament;<br />
one to remember.<br />
Please reply no later than Monday<br />
25th November<br />
2020 World Team<br />
Championships<br />
Invitation to attend 2020 World<br />
Team Championships in Busan:<br />
four members are invited to attend<br />
the 2020 World Team Championships<br />
to be held in Busan, Korea<br />
Republic from Sunday 22nd to<br />
Sunday 29th March.<br />
Please reply no later than Sunday<br />
15th December<br />
Members of the Oman Table Tennis Federation who presented the bid (left to right)<br />
Mohammed Humaid Al Kelbani, Secretary General; Abdullah Mohamed Bamakhalef,<br />
President and Sajad Al Lawati, Head of the Competition Committee.<br />
(left to right) Pongi, Mattias Falck and Claude Bergeret<br />
Standing (left to right) Jozsef Mayer, Robert Szentgyörgyi, Laszlo Pigniczki, Peter Rozsas,<br />
Jozsef Kelemen.<br />
Sitting (left to right) Erzsebet Jurikne-Heirits, Maria Jonyerne Nemet, Tibor Horvath,<br />
Laszlo Volper.<br />
Fair Play for Falck<br />
Sweden’s Mattias Falck won the<br />
Richard Bergman Fair Play Award<br />
at the Liebherr <strong>2019</strong> World Championships;<br />
he received the award from<br />
Claude Bergeret, the newly elected<br />
Secretary of the <strong>Swaythling</strong> Club.<br />
The Hungarian branch of the <strong>Swaythling</strong><br />
Club met on Thursday 16th May<br />
at the Hungarian House of Sports.<br />
Notably three of their members<br />
secured bronze medals at the <strong>2019</strong><br />
European Veteran Championships<br />
staged during the first week of July<br />
in Budapest. Gizella Zacher in women’s<br />
singles 70 years; Jozsef Mayer<br />
in men’s singles 40 years and Karoly<br />
Nemet in men’s singles 40 years.<br />
7
Day by day, the Liebherr<br />
<strong>2019</strong> World Championships<br />
approached, in April we<br />
wondered if Tomokazu Harimoto,<br />
only 15 years old, would reach his<br />
allotted place in the men’s singles<br />
draw; he was the fourth seed,<br />
a semi-final finish and he would<br />
become the youngest player ever to achieve<br />
the feat. It was not to happen, in the fourth<br />
round he was beaten by the Korea Republic’s<br />
An Jaehyun.<br />
TheFirst<br />
Professional<br />
(left to right) A young Richard Bergmann with Bohumil Vana, Laszlo Bellak and Victor Barna before<br />
an exhibition match in front of a full house in Liverpool, England<br />
It meant that the player, who was<br />
born a century earlier on Thursday<br />
10th April 1919, was still the owner of<br />
the record; on Tuesday 18th March<br />
1936, Richard Bergmann was 16<br />
years and 342 days old when he accounted<br />
for England’s Adrian Haydon<br />
(21-9, 21-7, 26-24) to reach the penultimate<br />
round at the World Championships<br />
in Prague.<br />
He was beaten by Poland’s Aloizy<br />
Ehrlich (16-21, 21-16, 21-18, 21-10), a<br />
contest that witnessed a strange turn<br />
of events. The match started at 7.00<br />
pm, at the end of the third game, they<br />
had been playing for almost an hour.<br />
Aloizy Ehrlich realised that dinner in<br />
the Lucerna Hall closed at 8.00 pm<br />
and he was hungry; so after a brief<br />
discussion with the umpires all agreed<br />
to eat and then return to play after<br />
they had enjoyed a hot meal!<br />
Now times have changed but 83<br />
years later that record of being the<br />
youngest semi-finalist still stands; it<br />
pays immense tribute to the character,<br />
the skill and professionalism of Richard<br />
Bergmann. Furthermore, consider<br />
the fact that Richard Bergmann did<br />
not start to play table tennis until he<br />
was 13 years old, the age at which<br />
he bought his first table tennis ball. It<br />
was a time when Austria was suffering<br />
galloping inflation; he paid for the ball<br />
from the money he earned by singing<br />
in the local church choir.<br />
Some four years later, he reached the<br />
semi-finals of a men’s singles event at<br />
World Championships!<br />
Compare that scenario with Tomokazu<br />
Harimoto; he started to play<br />
when less than five years old; when<br />
he played in Budapest, he had been<br />
playing for over 10 years. In consecutive<br />
years 2010 and 2011 he won the<br />
under 8 boys’ singles title at the Japan<br />
National Championships; then in 2012<br />
and 2013, he repeated the feat in the<br />
under 10 age group, prior to in 2014<br />
and 2015 doing exactly the same in<br />
the under 12 category. He had won six<br />
national titles before the age at which<br />
Richard Bergmann had ever picked<br />
up a table tennis bat!<br />
“Always<br />
think about<br />
your defeat,<br />
about the underlying<br />
causes;<br />
otherwise<br />
you will<br />
never be<br />
able to<br />
get rid<br />
of your shortcomings<br />
and will lose again<br />
to the same opponent.”<br />
Richard Bergmann, one of six children,<br />
was born in Vienna, his mother<br />
Italian, his father Polish, a local<br />
businessman who died before his<br />
illustrious son ever picked up a table<br />
tennis racket.<br />
8<br />
Saturday 9th January 1954, the England team ready to leave for Paris to play in the<br />
French Open; (left to right) Richard Bergmann, Michael McLaren, Rosalind Rowe, Diane<br />
Rowe, Ken Craigie, Jill Rook, Bryan Merrett, Ann Haydon, Johnny Leach, Kathy Best,<br />
Ray Dorking, Aubrey Simons<br />
He started to play in an age when<br />
playing sport for money, in whatever<br />
discipline, was somewhat frowned<br />
upon. It was something you did for<br />
fun; it was the amateur who gained<br />
public respect. However, is that not<br />
the contribution, the legacy of<br />
9
1949 English Open partnering Johnny Leach<br />
Richard Bergmann, not necessarily in<br />
financial terms but was he not the first<br />
table tennis professional?<br />
Accepted that accolade may well be<br />
bestowed on the shoulders of Victor<br />
Barna but has there ever been<br />
a player who took the sport of table<br />
tennis so seriously? Throughout his<br />
life, Richard Bergmann dedicated<br />
himself to the sport. He was of the<br />
opinion that he was a great sportsman<br />
in a great sport; for him table tennis<br />
was an art to be revered and to be<br />
respected.<br />
Furthermore, his approach was<br />
reflected in his character. Richard<br />
Bergmann was always smartly<br />
dressed, never a hair out of place; he<br />
bought his suits in Hong Kong, his<br />
shoes in Spain, his sports shirts in<br />
Italy. Whether playing or attending a<br />
social function, meticulously he paid<br />
attention to detail. He was ahead of<br />
his time; nowadays he would have<br />
been the marketing man’s dream!<br />
A most professional approach, he<br />
believed you must be physically fit<br />
to play table tennis, he had endless<br />
stamina, undoubtedly footwork was<br />
one of his major assets but totally different<br />
from the modern day player he<br />
paid very little attention to the service,<br />
for him it was just a way of starting the<br />
rally. He did not drink alcohol and he<br />
did not smoke but always he carried<br />
a smart cigarette case just in case<br />
he met the acquaintance of a lady<br />
smoker.<br />
10<br />
Debonair but no prima donna; whether<br />
at the local club or whatever tournament,<br />
he was willing to play against<br />
anyone who wanted to test their skills.<br />
Primarily a defensive player but his<br />
forehand attacking stroke was the<br />
equal of the best of the era; however,<br />
arguably his strengths were his will to<br />
win, his sense of anticipation and his<br />
quick thinking, all reflected in the fact<br />
he spoke seven languages.<br />
The determination, the drive to succeed<br />
was nowhere better demonstrated<br />
than in 1937 in Baden bei Wien, a<br />
spa town located in southern Austria,<br />
when he won the men’s singles title at<br />
the World Championships for the first<br />
time in his career.<br />
En route to the final he beat Sol Schiff<br />
of the United States, the favourite for<br />
the title and the expert at executing<br />
finger spin serves. In the title decider<br />
he faced Aloizy Ehrlich; the experienced<br />
Polish star won the opening<br />
game 21-19, in the second he went<br />
ahead 20-14, Bergmann recovered<br />
to succeed 25-23! The third went in<br />
favour of Ehrlich 21-19, after trailing<br />
15-19!<br />
The fourth game progressed, controversial<br />
decisions, they went in favour<br />
of Bergmann. Ehrlich was furious,<br />
outraged, accusing the umpires of<br />
bias. He asked for the umpire to be<br />
changed but all were Austrian so<br />
he refused every nomination! The<br />
situation was resolved by Laszlo<br />
Bellak, the well-known member of the<br />
Hungarian national team. The match<br />
resumed, Bergmann was mentally the<br />
stronger; he won the fourth game 21-<br />
7, the fifth 21-11.<br />
The following year in London,<br />
Bergmann was to lose in the final<br />
to Czechoslovakia’s Bohumil Vana<br />
(20-22, 21-9, 21-16, 21-14), before in<br />
Cairo in 1939, living in London but at<br />
the time theoretically stateless owing<br />
to the Nazi annexation of Austria, he<br />
was to beat Ehrlich (21-7, 21-15, 21-<br />
18) to regain the title.<br />
It was to be the last World Championships<br />
before World War Two; during<br />
the hostilities Bergmann served in<br />
the Royal Air Force. On Wednesday<br />
7th June 1944 he was involved in the<br />
Normandy landings; he embarked<br />
with machine gun in hand, table tennis<br />
racket and ball in his backpack!<br />
He was not able to compete in the<br />
1947 World Championships in Paris<br />
but was present as a spectator; he<br />
brought with him several thousand<br />
leaflets in various languages which he<br />
scattered out of an airplane offering<br />
£500.00 to anyone who could beat<br />
the “best player in the world”. At the<br />
time gambling by national associations<br />
was forbidden, there were no<br />
takers. Disappointing but at the end of<br />
the year in mid-December, there was<br />
better news, Richard Bergmann was<br />
granted British citizenship. Immediately,<br />
he entered the English Open in<br />
Manchester and duly won the men’s<br />
singles title.<br />
Now with the 1948 World Championships<br />
on the horizon in London, his<br />
new home, the sheer will to win, the<br />
determination was once again displayed.<br />
He did not enjoy the best of<br />
results in the men’s team event, the<br />
final witnessed a 5-2 win for Czechoslovakia<br />
against France but Bergmann<br />
did not watch the contest, he<br />
practised; his diligence bore fruit.<br />
He reached the penultimate round<br />
of the men’s singles event. He faced<br />
Czechoslovakia’s Ivam Andreadis<br />
in what to this day stands as one of<br />
the epic semi-finals. The man from<br />
Prague won the opening two games,<br />
appeared to tire as he lost the third<br />
but then in the fourth led 19-16 and<br />
20-18; two match points, at 21-20 he<br />
held a third. Bergmann recovered,<br />
won the game 25-23 but then in the<br />
fifth appeared to be facing defeat as<br />
Andreadis established a 9-4 lead;<br />
from that point onwards, the defe<br />
nce of Bergmann proved rock<br />
solid, he afforded his gallant<br />
adversary just seven<br />
more points (17-21,<br />
18-21, 21-7, 25-23, 21-<br />
16). A place in the final,<br />
Bergmann accounted<br />
for Bohumil Vana (21-12,<br />
18-21, 21-19, 14-21, 21-11)<br />
to seal the title.<br />
A Bergmann racket and<br />
The recommended ball<br />
“Return the ball any<br />
way you can but return<br />
it. Any stroke,<br />
any smash, whatever<br />
its impact<br />
can be returned if<br />
your racket catches<br />
the ball. Of course<br />
your legs must act<br />
fast in order<br />
to get you<br />
to the right<br />
position.”<br />
One year later in 1949 in Stockholm,<br />
Bergmann was to somewhat unexpectedly<br />
lose to Hungary’s Ferenc<br />
Soos in the last 16, before in 1950<br />
in Budapest avenging the defeat.<br />
He overcame Soos in the final, yet<br />
another contest that underlined his<br />
tenacity. The match started at 1.00<br />
am in the morning, both principally<br />
defenders, it was a long drawn out<br />
encounter, Soos won the opening two<br />
games, Bergmann returning the ball<br />
high, encouraging his opponent to<br />
attack, recovered to level matters. In<br />
the fifth game, Soos went ahead 8-2,<br />
at 12-all it was parity, Soos lost his<br />
temper, Bergmann surrendered just<br />
one further point; for the fourth time he<br />
was the world champion.<br />
Success in English colours but<br />
also he experienced clashes with<br />
the authorities. He was suspended<br />
after travelling to South Africa to play<br />
exhibition matches; thus he did not<br />
compete in the 1951 World Championships<br />
staged in Vienna, the country<br />
of his birth. The following year, he<br />
was involved in exhibition matches<br />
in a Paris music hall; as a result for<br />
the forthcoming 1952 World Championships<br />
in Bombay, England did not<br />
originally select Bergmann believing<br />
with justification that his form was not<br />
at the level required.<br />
However, they kept the fifth place<br />
vacant, advising that an improvement<br />
was needed and he would be required<br />
to pay his own expenses. Bergmann<br />
duly practised diligently. In the<br />
The year 1952<br />
1955 in Tokyo with Johnny Leach and Ivor Montagu<br />
Monday 13th July 1953, with Johnny Leach at the Wataya Hotel in Kumamoto<br />
11
1952 English Open men’s singles winner<br />
Medals<br />
The 1957 World Championships with Toma Reiter<br />
1957 World Championships playing Ferenc Sido for England<br />
against Hungary<br />
Trophies<br />
The Popular model<br />
A copy of 21 up signed by Richard Bergmann<br />
Above:The classic defensive style exerted<br />
by Richard Bergmann; note the use of the<br />
free arm to create balance<br />
Left: The famous £500 challenge to any -<br />
one who could beat the world champion<br />
Right: Monday 2nd - Wednesday 11th April 1956,<br />
the World Championships in Tokyo with Brian<br />
Kennedy, Ivor Montagu and Johnny Leach<br />
A World Traveller<br />
12<br />
13
<strong>Swaythling</strong> Cup, England finished in<br />
runners up spot, losing 5-4 to Hungary;<br />
Bergmann won all his three<br />
matches, he beat Ferenc Sido, Josef<br />
Koczian and Kalman Szepesi.<br />
One year later at the 1953 World<br />
Championships in Bucharest, lining<br />
up alongside Johnny Leach, Aubrey<br />
Simons and Brian Kennedy, England<br />
won the <strong>Swaythling</strong> Cup, the one and<br />
only occasion when the country where<br />
the sport started has won the men’s<br />
team title.<br />
Success but by that time, the racket<br />
covered with sponge was appearing<br />
on the scene, for Richard Bergmann<br />
such a product was “enemy number<br />
one”, he detested the innovation.<br />
Popular Richard Bergmann rackets<br />
THE LIFE AND<br />
TIMES OF<br />
RICHARD BERG-<br />
MANN<br />
1936 World Championships<br />
At the 1936 World Championships in<br />
Prague, Austria won the men’s team<br />
title for the one and only time to date;<br />
only 16 years old Richard Bergmann<br />
was the backbone of the 5-4 win<br />
against Romania. He won his three<br />
matches.<br />
“Return<br />
the ball<br />
any way<br />
you can but<br />
return it.”<br />
A brilliant showman, he organised<br />
several professional tours, at times<br />
he displeased authorities but wherever<br />
he played, crowds warmed to his<br />
efforts. Moreover, he played in some<br />
most unusual venues including the<br />
London Palladium, the Moulin Rouge<br />
in Paris, the Maharajah Palace in<br />
India and Madison Square Gardens<br />
in New York. Perhaps most famously<br />
he played in breaks of play when the<br />
Harlem Globetrotters toured; notably<br />
playing in Sofia in front of a 45,000<br />
crowd, surely the biggest ever to<br />
watch a table tennis match.<br />
Sadly in late 1969 during an exhibition<br />
match at a holiday camp<br />
in Southport on the west coast of<br />
England, he lost consciousness, he<br />
was rushed to a hospital in nearby<br />
Liverpool; he was diagnosed with a<br />
brain tumour. He died in London on<br />
Sunday 5th April 1970; he was only<br />
50 years old.<br />
Four days later his body was cremated<br />
in New York where his sister<br />
lived, a human irony, the man with a<br />
thousand friends had no home of his<br />
own.<br />
Watching in awe<br />
Alongside Aubrey Simons<br />
Tuesday 3rd April 1956, World Championships in Tokyo, Richard Bergmann plays China’s<br />
Tsen Huai-Kuang<br />
“I did not sleep well for days before<br />
my first World Championships<br />
in Prague in 1936. We crushed the<br />
Czechoslovaks 5-0 and the Americans<br />
5-1 and, in the final disposed of the<br />
Romanians 5-4 who did us a favour<br />
by surprising the favoured Hungarians<br />
5-4. Our final match had no precedents;<br />
we played three evenings,<br />
altogether 12 hours! The extremely tiring<br />
match was interrupted first at 2-2,<br />
because the police stormed into the<br />
hall at 2.00 am and had us stop! The<br />
match continued the next evening and<br />
was completed only after the singles.<br />
Soon after my return I won the<br />
Austrian senior title and began to<br />
teach ping pong to boys, for petty<br />
cash of course. However, the Austrian<br />
Table Tennis Association thought<br />
I was violating their rules and to my<br />
amazement I was suspended for six<br />
months; however the suspension was<br />
annulled soon. Perhaps because of<br />
public pressure, who knows? Anyway,<br />
I continued to learn and develop my<br />
table tennis skills, night and day.”<br />
Richard Bergmann v Farkas Paneth<br />
21-15, 21-14<br />
Alfred Liebster v Viktor Vladone 21-19,<br />
11-21, 18-21<br />
Helmut Goebel v Vasile Goldberger-Marin<br />
11-21, 9-21<br />
Richard Bergmann v Viktor Vladone<br />
19-21, 21-14, 21-13<br />
Helmut Goebel v Farkas Paneth 9-21,<br />
11-21<br />
Alfred Leibster v Vasile Goldberger-Marin<br />
21-13, 23-21<br />
Helmut Goebel v Viktor Vladone 21-<br />
19, 13-21, 12-21<br />
Richard Bergmann v Vasile Goldberg-<br />
Exhibitions with Lee Dal Joon proved popular<br />
er-Marin 21-19, 21-16<br />
Alfred Leibster v Farkas Paneth 21-15,<br />
8-21, 21-10<br />
1937 World Championships<br />
After winning his first men’s singles<br />
title at the 1937 World Championships<br />
in Baden bei Wien<br />
“Everybody applauded. My whole<br />
body shook out of excitement. I had<br />
become world champion at less than<br />
nineteen.”<br />
1939 West of England Championships<br />
“My mother came to England from<br />
Vienna in 1939. There she watched<br />
me play table tennis for the first time,<br />
although she did not know the rules; it<br />
was in Torquay at the West of England<br />
Championships. On that occasion<br />
before a crowd of 2,000 I defeated<br />
the best world players, Vana in the<br />
semi-finals, Barna in the final. Immediately<br />
after the match I approached<br />
my mother who was sitting in the front<br />
row. She patted me on the shoulder<br />
and said: never mind Ricky, you’ll win<br />
next time.”<br />
1944 Normandy Landings<br />
A member of the Royal Air Force but<br />
at the time Richard Bergmann was not<br />
a British citizen, still Austrian.<br />
“We left our ID’s behind. I took particular<br />
care, if the Germans counter<br />
“I consider myself<br />
one of the best<br />
players; then I<br />
insist on playing<br />
with the best<br />
possible ball.<br />
I always seek<br />
perfection.”<br />
attacked and took us prisoner and saw<br />
that I was formerly Austrian; for them I<br />
would have been a deserter and they<br />
could have shot me right away.”<br />
1956 Tokyo Championships<br />
Bergmann lost the first game against<br />
Hong Kong’s Tsui Cheung Ling; he<br />
was losing in the second. He stopped<br />
the match and asked the umpire to<br />
change the ball.<br />
“We cannot play with such an egg-like<br />
ball!”<br />
He tested no less than 250 balls, Ivor<br />
Montagu, ITTF President, approached<br />
Bergmann advising he could be<br />
disqualified. After 25 minutes Bergmann<br />
found a suitable ball; nervous,<br />
Tsui Cheung Ling, after leading two<br />
games to nil, lost the last three and<br />
the match.<br />
14<br />
15
The last match, career ends on high note<br />
All good things come to an end,<br />
for Jean-Michel Saive, it came to<br />
an end earlier this year on Thursday<br />
9th May in the Auderghem<br />
Sports Centre.<br />
In the Super Division of the<br />
Belgian League, he beat Julien<br />
Meurant to secure a 5-1 win for<br />
Logis in opposition to Etoile Basse<br />
Sambre, the concluding points<br />
being those that saluted the career<br />
of a national hero. Retreating back<br />
from the table to the environs of<br />
the court surrounds, he returned<br />
the ball high into the heavens time<br />
and time again; the reaction a<br />
standing ovation from his adoring<br />
supporters when eventually the<br />
rallies concluded.<br />
The points brought to an end<br />
over 40 years of competitive play,<br />
his first venture being in 1978 in<br />
Eupen when only nine years old.<br />
“I lost to the brother of sisters Elke<br />
and Els Billen, I lost to Erwin!”<br />
reflected Jean Michel Saive.<br />
A great deal of water has flowed<br />
under the bridge since those days,<br />
torrents but one fact has never<br />
waned, Jean-Michel Saive has<br />
always revelled in the heat of the<br />
battle, “I’ll be fighting like a pig” is<br />
the phrase that sticks in my mind<br />
when asked about the next match;<br />
has anyone ever seen pigs fight?<br />
The competitive spirit is ingrained<br />
in his nature but now that thrill is<br />
over; does he miss the adrenalin<br />
flow provided by the theatre of<br />
sport?<br />
“No not at all”, was the emphatic<br />
reply. “I always said it’s better<br />
to play a year too long than a<br />
year too less, I have no regrets;<br />
practice was fine, I could choose<br />
when I wanted to practise. If I<br />
felt good then I would practise, if<br />
not then not go; for matches of<br />
course that’s different, you have no<br />
choice. I’d had some injuries, the<br />
team was not in contention for the<br />
title; there was no great motivation,<br />
16<br />
In 1981, Jean-Mi (right) and (left) brother<br />
Philippe win the minimes event, their first<br />
Belgian title. Later Jean-Mi won the mixed<br />
doubles and boys’ singles titles<br />
the fighting spirit was not there.”<br />
Play at club level over, on the<br />
international stage it had come to<br />
an end some four years earlier in<br />
Ekaterinburg at the Liebherr 2015<br />
European Championships, when<br />
unwell, he had lost to Laurens<br />
Tromer of the Netherlands in the<br />
initial stage of the men’s singles<br />
event. It was the conclusion of a<br />
venture that had started in January<br />
1983, selected for the Belgian<br />
national team for the first time; he<br />
joined forces with Luc Cabrera, the<br />
Welsh Open in Cardiff being the<br />
destination. Alas it was not an auspicious<br />
start, defeat at the hands<br />
of Denmark and an early men’s<br />
singles farewell.<br />
Later in the same year, 13 years<br />
old at the time, he made his debut<br />
at the World Championships, competing<br />
in Tokyo. He lined up alongside<br />
Thierry Cabrera, Remo de<br />
Prophetis and Didier Leroy; under<br />
the captaincy of André Damman,<br />
Jean-Michel Saive played just one<br />
match, the defensive skills of Didier<br />
Leroy being preferred. He was<br />
selected for the contest against El<br />
Salvador. Competing in division<br />
The Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games<br />
Hoisted aloft after in 1994 Belgium won<br />
the European Men’s League<br />
three, Belgium finished in second<br />
position behind Brazil, overall 34th<br />
place, as in Cardiff, in the men’s<br />
singles event it was an inauspicious<br />
early exit.<br />
Second place and promotion to<br />
the second division; it is that fact<br />
which sets Jean-Michel Saive<br />
apart from his contemporaries and<br />
from the vast majority who have<br />
appeared in high places on the<br />
world rankings. Most illustrious<br />
names begin their world championship<br />
careers as members of teams<br />
in the Championship Division,<br />
China, Japan, Korea Republic,<br />
Sweden and Germany being prime<br />
examples. Jean-Michel Saive at<br />
the helm, Belgium climbed through<br />
the divisions, the culmination being<br />
in 2001 in Osaka when principally<br />
selecting younger brother Philippe<br />
and Martin Bratanov, Marc Closset<br />
and Andras Podpinka completing<br />
the squad, the second step of the<br />
podium behind China was the end<br />
result.<br />
“It was two years and then another<br />
two years, I played all the<br />
time”, reflected Jean-Michel Saive.<br />
“There was no chance we could<br />
go direct to the Championship<br />
Division, every time we had to win;<br />
later we went down so it was the<br />
same experience again.”<br />
Undoubtedly, the final in Osaka<br />
was a proud moment for Jean-<br />
Michel Saive, as was winning the<br />
European Men’s League in the<br />
season 1993-1994 and retaining<br />
the title the following year. Philippe<br />
Saive and Andras Podpinka<br />
played crucial roles in both campaigns,<br />
notably in the 1993-1994<br />
campaign Thierry Cabrera and<br />
Frédéric Sonnet were also members<br />
of the squad.<br />
The successes reflected the<br />
incredible progress made by Belgium<br />
since Jean-Michel Saive first<br />
entered the international stage, it<br />
also endorsed the fact that not only<br />
did he strive for personal success;<br />
he was a true team man, Belgium<br />
was in the heart. He exceeded<br />
the standards of those who went<br />
before; arguably Norbert Van der<br />
Walle was the best player prior to<br />
the Saive era to wear the Belgian<br />
A fresh faced young man at the 1991<br />
World Championships in Chiba<br />
national team shirt.<br />
A defender, a measure of his<br />
ability was underlined in September<br />
1967 at the Sussex Open in<br />
Hastings on the south coast of<br />
England. He reached the semi-final<br />
stage of the men’s singles<br />
event losing to Czechoslovakia’s<br />
Jaroslav Stanek, the eventual<br />
champion. However, in the quarter-final<br />
round he had beaten the<br />
leading Englishman of the time,<br />
Denis Neale, a match with an air of<br />
controversy. Best of three games,<br />
at 21-all in the third, the expedite<br />
rule was invoked!<br />
Little did we think at the time that<br />
two years later a player would be<br />
born in Liège who would represent<br />
his country with great dignity, setting<br />
standards that would see him<br />
stand alongside the likes of the<br />
greatest Belgian of all, the cyclist<br />
Eddy Merckx, five times the winner<br />
of the Tour de France. The standard<br />
was set to a great extent in<br />
1993, the year he became the first<br />
foreigner to win the men’s singles<br />
title at the China Open; in the later<br />
rounds he overcame Lu Lin, Wang<br />
Tao and Ma Wenge to claim gold.<br />
In modern day terms that’s like<br />
beating Xu Xin, Fan Zhendong and<br />
Ma Long to secure the top step of<br />
the podium.<br />
The 1991 All Stars Circuit in Chinese<br />
Taipei<br />
Also in 1993 at the World Championships<br />
in Gothenburg, he was<br />
the men’s singles runner up, a<br />
time when European men dominated<br />
the scene; China had to take<br />
second place. One year later he<br />
became European champion and<br />
proved himself the best player in<br />
the world.<br />
Staged at the National Indoor<br />
Arena in Birmingham, Jean-Michel<br />
Saive reached the final of the<br />
European Championships beating<br />
Russia’s Andrei Mazunov,<br />
before overcoming a promising<br />
young player from Belarus named<br />
Vladimir Samsonov. A quarter-final<br />
reservation, he accounted for England’s<br />
Chen Xinhua, followed by<br />
success in opposition to Frenchman,<br />
Patrick Chila to book his<br />
place in the final. Either Sweden’s<br />
Jan-Ove Waldner or, representing<br />
Croatia for the first time at a European<br />
Championships, as opposed<br />
to Yugoslavia, Zoran Primorac<br />
awaited.<br />
Earlier in the year Jean-Michel<br />
Saive had won the Europe Top 12<br />
in Arezzo and had risen to the top<br />
spot on the world rankings; it was<br />
a place he kept until Thursday 8th<br />
June 1995 when the position was<br />
surrendered following the Tianjin<br />
World Championships. The prime<br />
position was regained on Tuesday<br />
26th March 1996 and held for<br />
one month until relinquished on<br />
The Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games<br />
17
Wednesday 24th April; overall a<br />
total of 515 days.<br />
The feeling in Birmingham was<br />
that Jan-Ove Waldner was the true<br />
number one player; who would<br />
Jean-Michel Saive prefer to meet<br />
in the final? The general consensus<br />
of opinion was that it would<br />
be the Croatian. Wang Dayong,<br />
the Belgian national coach at the<br />
time was of a different opinion, he<br />
wanted Waldner; beat the Swede<br />
in the final and then Jean-Michel<br />
Saive would prove he was the true<br />
number one.<br />
Jean-Michel Saive was focused,<br />
in the show court area there was<br />
a big television screen but it was<br />
located at the end of the table, not<br />
at the side. Jean-Mi insisted the<br />
screen be turned off; the organisers<br />
agreed and Jean-Michel Saive<br />
delivered; European champion in<br />
an era when the male players from<br />
the old continent ruled the world.<br />
The words of Wang Dayong<br />
had been vindicated; one of four<br />
coaches who have primarily guided<br />
the fortunes of Jean-Michel<br />
Saive. First on the list was Milan<br />
Stencel from 1984 to 1989; then<br />
Wang Dayong from 1989 to 2009,<br />
a period during which, from 1993<br />
to 2010, Jean-Michel Saive was<br />
advised by Dubravko Skoric at<br />
Royal Villette Charleroi. From<br />
2010 and until the present day the<br />
Belgian national men’s team coach<br />
has been Martin Bratonov.<br />
Success at the 1994 European<br />
Championships, the list of titles<br />
secured and major achievements<br />
fills an encyclopedia. However,<br />
it is the accolades Jean-Michel<br />
Saive has achieved that reflect his<br />
accomplishments. Seven times<br />
an Olympian; at the Atlanta 1996<br />
Olympic Games and at the Athens<br />
2004 Olympic Games, he carried<br />
the Belgian flag at the Opening<br />
Ceremony. In 1989 he received the<br />
UNESCO Fair Play Award, in both<br />
1991 and 1994, he was named<br />
Belgian sportsman of the year.<br />
18<br />
Men’s team silver medallists at Osaka 2001 World Championships<br />
Philipe and Jean-Mi with parents Jean-Paul and Jeannine after Belgian retained the<br />
Men’s European League title in 1995<br />
Alongside Jorgen Persson and Zoran Primorac, recognised at the Beijing 2008 Olympic<br />
Games for a sixth consecutive appearance<br />
A long and distinguished career,<br />
if we include the Liebherr 2018<br />
World Team Championships in<br />
Halmstad when registered as a<br />
player but never actually competed;<br />
it is 25 appearances in the<br />
global event. Remember for much<br />
of his career the tournament was<br />
held biennially, not alternating as<br />
now with team and individual on an<br />
annual basis. The reason for being<br />
able to compete year after year at<br />
a high level; simply Jean-Michel<br />
Saive ticked the boxes.<br />
“For a long career you must have<br />
a strong character, you have to<br />
adapt to different circumstances,<br />
changes to rules, changes to<br />
things like the ball; you must be<br />
prepared to work hard, improve<br />
your weaknesses and keep fighting,”<br />
explained Jean-Michel Saive.<br />
“You must accept that you lose<br />
more than you win; that even applies<br />
to Roger Federer and Rafael<br />
Nadal, Roger Federer is now 38<br />
years old, Jimmy Connors was<br />
winning when 39; for Pete Sampras<br />
and Bjorn Borg they could<br />
have played longer.”<br />
Significantly, 43 years old,<br />
Vladimir Samsonov undoubtedly<br />
has his eyes fixed on the Tokyo<br />
2020 Olympic Games and is that<br />
something we are going to witness<br />
more and more in sport as medical<br />
care improves, players competing<br />
at top level for longer?<br />
“Now we know better how to practise,<br />
what to eat; how to prevent<br />
injury, shoes are better, no longer<br />
do we play on concrete floors,”<br />
stressed Jean-Michel Saive.<br />
“Everything must come together<br />
but above all else you must be<br />
motivated.”<br />
An illustrious career but humble,<br />
possessing a very clear understanding<br />
that without the artisan<br />
player he would not have reached<br />
the pinnacle of his sport. Year after<br />
year with a group of young players,<br />
my journey in August was the ferry<br />
from Dover across the English<br />
Channel to compete in the Ostend<br />
Open, a tournament with an event<br />
Friday 19th July, carrying the Belgian flag<br />
at the Atlanta <strong>2019</strong> Olympic Games Opening<br />
Ceremony<br />
for players of all levels.<br />
On the Saturday night it was the<br />
Masters with Jean-Michel Saive<br />
in action; play concluded, it was<br />
a climb up the rickety stairs to the<br />
bar. Always Jean-Mi and brother,<br />
Phil, were there to talk and have a<br />
drink with the fans; I would leave<br />
with my young players back to the<br />
hotel via a different bar, the one<br />
that sold burgers. I have no idea<br />
what time Jean Mi and Phil left but<br />
I suspect dawn was breaking on<br />
Sunday morning.<br />
Outstanding as a player, recently<br />
his attentions have turned to<br />
officialdom, in addition to being a<br />
member of the ITTF Athletes Commission<br />
he is Deputy President<br />
of the Belgian National Olympic<br />
Committee. No doubt in those<br />
spheres he will excel but there is<br />
another area in which he shines.<br />
He is a mine of sporting knowledge<br />
and not just table tennis; he<br />
has a deep interest in the world<br />
of sport, a veritable encyclopedia.<br />
Player, official, guru; one factor is<br />
common, sheer unabated enthusiasm.<br />
Even when he speaks the<br />
smile, the tone of voice reflects a<br />
sense of zeal; an approach that<br />
rubs off on others, it takes others<br />
with him and that is exactly what<br />
he did for Belgium.<br />
Allez Jean-Mi, allez Jean-Mi, allez!<br />
Friday 13th August, leading Belgium into<br />
the stadium at Opening Ceremony for Athens<br />
2004 Olympic Games<br />
Adored by the fans, a farewell wave<br />
A special place in history for Julien<br />
Meurant , he was the opponent in the<br />
last match<br />
19
y Ian Marshall<br />
spect and you have a special place in<br />
sport. Attack when the chance arose<br />
but it was it was on backhand defence<br />
that her game was built. “Make sure<br />
you have something on which you can<br />
rely when the match is close; mine in<br />
backhand defence”, wise words from<br />
Elena Timina.<br />
Defending, the ball being returned<br />
time and again to break the heart of<br />
the opponent, it may sound as though<br />
Elena Timina is a lady with a dour<br />
character; quite the opposite, once<br />
she brought the house down. Playing<br />
in the British League, both men<br />
and women being eligible, competing<br />
against Ian “Benny” Robertson, no<br />
mean player, in a match in the north of<br />
England, everything was going wrong,<br />
it was one of those days. “If I cannot<br />
play better than this I might as well<br />
go home and make babies!” was the<br />
stunning comment.<br />
Aleksej Frog (coach), Irina Palina, Elena Timina, Raisa Timofeeva and Tatiana Potjomkina (née Shevchenko)<br />
Called to acton at the Pefect 2016 World<br />
Team Championships<br />
It was not the best of days but in the<br />
long run it turned out to be one of the<br />
very best of days. It was September<br />
1991, the club, Grove, based at the<br />
school where I taught had gradually<br />
grown in stature, both the men’s team<br />
and women’s teams had qualified for<br />
the Europe Club Cup of Champions,<br />
nowadays the European Champions<br />
League but in that era a knock-out<br />
competition.<br />
Both had to play on the same day, the<br />
men away in Italy, the women at home<br />
in Market Drayton, a small English<br />
town of some 8,000 inhabitants in the<br />
north-west midlands. I travelled to<br />
Rome, my 17 year old daughter, Claire<br />
was delegated the task of organising<br />
matters in the school gymnasium. The<br />
men experienced defeat; the match<br />
concluded I telephoned home hoping<br />
for better news. It was even worse,<br />
a resounding defeat against Trade<br />
Unions Moscow.<br />
Claire explained our players were<br />
totally demoralised by their leading<br />
player; simply every ball came back,<br />
20<br />
Editor’s note: thanks to Vladimir Mirsky for his help in the production of this article<br />
they could not penetrate her defensive<br />
skills. Claire paused and then added;<br />
she wants to know if there is an English<br />
club she can play for next year.<br />
I thought for less than a split second<br />
and then advised Claire to tell her<br />
that she had just found one; welcome<br />
Elena Timina.<br />
Now the then 22 year old, earlier this<br />
year on Wednesday 8th May, celebrated<br />
her landmark 50th birthday.<br />
One could not have wished for a<br />
more loyal club member, a fact that<br />
describes Elena Timina; if you want a<br />
person in your team, whether player<br />
or coach who will give 100 per cent<br />
commitment 100 per cent of the time,<br />
she is first choice.<br />
Elena Timina became renowned for<br />
her backhand defence, the side of the<br />
racket on which she used long pimpled<br />
rubber. However, when executing<br />
a backhand attacking stroke, she has<br />
been likened to the style of Victor Barna;<br />
if in any context you are compared<br />
with that name, you have earned re-<br />
In 1992 she met Robert Misset, a<br />
Dutch journalist, moved to the Netherlands<br />
in 1993, married in 1994<br />
and has a son Andrej, 20 years old<br />
and daughter Wera, 17 years of age.<br />
Andrej is studying Sports Management<br />
at Nijmegen College and aims<br />
to work for a major football club or<br />
marketing bureau; Wera has gained<br />
a place at the Fontys Academy of<br />
Music and Performing Arts, her goal<br />
is to be a successful musical actress.<br />
If they have half the determination of<br />
their mother, they will succeed with<br />
honours.<br />
Table tennis for Elena Timina started<br />
when seven years old; her mother, a<br />
single parent, a Russian language and<br />
True to character<br />
literature teacher, took her daughter to<br />
the table tennis club at her school, situated<br />
at the Moscow School of Sports<br />
Excellence. Later younger sister,<br />
Yana, born in 1975 was to follow suit.<br />
“I was big and clumsy and not at all<br />
sporty; however, it was here that my<br />
first coach, Natalia Kuptsova, recognised<br />
my determination and extraordinary<br />
fighting spirit”, explained Elena<br />
Timina. “She was the bridge to my<br />
future in table tennis; she introduced<br />
me to the next group of people who<br />
became important in my table tennis<br />
career. She is still one of the most<br />
important people in my life.”<br />
Natalia Kupstova quickly understood<br />
the best qualities of Elena Timina. She<br />
recognised that speed and explosive<br />
play were not her strengths; also realising<br />
that as Elena grew, she would<br />
become physically stronger. She<br />
decided the perfect answer was to be<br />
a defensive player.<br />
“At the next level I was fortunate<br />
again to be working with another great<br />
coach and human being, Igor Tateosov,”<br />
said Elena Timina. “I was with<br />
Igor for more than ten years, he made<br />
me mentally stronger and able to cope<br />
under pressure; he became a close<br />
family friend. He and other coaches<br />
from the Russian national team,<br />
Vladimir Vorobjov, Dmitrij Kotirev and<br />
Viktor Batov always believed in me<br />
and were convinced that I could aim<br />
high; to them I am always grateful.”<br />
A style of play and a sound base from<br />
which to progress established; when<br />
13 years old Elena Timina joined the<br />
Soviet Union’s national junior team<br />
and soon enjoyed success. At the<br />
European Youth Championships she<br />
made her presence felt. In 1983, in the<br />
Swedish city of Malmö, she partnered<br />
Elena Komrakova to runners up spot<br />
in both the cadet girls’ team and<br />
cadet girls’ doubles events. Later in<br />
1985 in The Hague, she was a junior<br />
girls’ team bronze medallist alongside<br />
Flora Khasanova, Galina Melnik<br />
and once again Elena Komrakova,<br />
Success, (left) Irina Palina looks on<br />
before partnering Galina Melnik to<br />
junior girls’ doubles bronze. Success<br />
in The Hague, the following year it<br />
was success in Louvain-La-Neuve;<br />
she emerged a junior mixed doubles<br />
bronze medallist in partnership with<br />
Igor Egorov, whilst later advancing to<br />
the semi-final stage of the junior girls’<br />
singles event.<br />
Success at junior level was to be<br />
followed by success at senior level<br />
and much greater achievements; the<br />
year 1994 being one in particular to<br />
remember. Lining up alongside Galina<br />
Determination describes Elena Timina<br />
21
Melnik and Irina Palina, the trio won<br />
the Team World Cup in Nîmes, before<br />
in Birmingham securing the women’s<br />
team title at the European Championships.<br />
Success in England’s second city underlined<br />
the character of Elena Timina;<br />
not only as a player but as a person.<br />
She received the “Most Valuable Player”<br />
award; immediately she shared the<br />
prize money with her teammates; the<br />
argument being that without them, she<br />
would not have been the most valuable<br />
player. Furthermore, not only were<br />
her efforts recognised in Birmingham,<br />
they were recognised in Moscow; all<br />
three members of the team received<br />
the country’s highest sports nomination,<br />
the Respectable Master of Sport<br />
of Russia.<br />
Gold in the colours of the Soviet<br />
Union, one of four national associations<br />
she represented during her<br />
playing career. Until Wednesday 25th<br />
December 1991, when the hammer<br />
and sickle flag was lowered for the last<br />
time over the Kremlin and replaced<br />
by the Russian tricolor, Elena Timina<br />
had represented the Soviet Union.<br />
Following the dissolution of the Soviet<br />
Union, Elena Timina played under the<br />
emblem of the immediate successor,<br />
the Commonwealth of Independent<br />
States and then Russia as the political<br />
map of Europe changed.<br />
Married, after a gap of eight years<br />
when her children were born, in 2006<br />
she was invited to join the Netherlands<br />
team; lining up alongside Li Jiao and<br />
Li Jie, the trio won the women’s team<br />
title at the European Championships<br />
for four consecutive years starting in<br />
2008 in St Petersburg. Additionally,<br />
the team competed at the Beijing 2008<br />
and London 2012 Olympic Games;<br />
in the former it was third place in the<br />
initial stage group behind Singapore<br />
and the United States, in the latter a<br />
quarter-final defeat at the hands of<br />
China.<br />
“Unfortunately our dream of Olympic<br />
medals stayed a dream”, reminisced<br />
Elena Timina. “However, I am immensely<br />
proud of these achievements.”<br />
The London 2012 Olympic Games<br />
marked the end of Elena Timina’s<br />
playing career, the start of being<br />
the advisor sitting courtside; until<br />
2017 she was the head coach of the<br />
Total concentration, the year is 1996<br />
With husband Robert at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games<br />
Netherlands women’s team. Notably<br />
at the 2015 European Games in<br />
Baku, she guided the Netherlands to<br />
three medals; Li Jiao beat Li Jie in the<br />
women’s singles final, after silver had<br />
been secured in the women’s team<br />
competition. Likewise Elena Timina<br />
was on coaching duty at the Rio 2016<br />
Olympic Games and the previous<br />
year in Suzhou, being responsible for<br />
steering Li Jie and Poland’s Li Qian to<br />
women’s doubles bronze at the Qoros<br />
2015 World Championships.<br />
It was also the tournament when, in<br />
the women’s singles final, Ding Ning<br />
after injuring her ankle early in the<br />
decisive seventh game against Liu<br />
Elena Timina at the 1997 European Women’s<br />
Team Cup in Coesfeld<br />
Shiwen, emerged successful, virtually<br />
playing on one leg. “Every girl who<br />
wants to succeed should watch the<br />
video of that final,” stressed Elena<br />
Timina; the performance of Ding Ning<br />
reflected the character and strength of<br />
Elena Timina<br />
Now another coaching role awaits; on<br />
Thursday 1st August she became the<br />
coach for Rapid Luzern, a task she will<br />
fulfil with enthusiasm and dedication<br />
as in all her previous commitments.<br />
Furthermore, without doubt she will<br />
transmit the one vital factor explained<br />
by Vladimir Samsonov; his words<br />
were to the effect that I can’t change<br />
suddenly from being an attacking<br />
The coach<br />
player to a defender but I want to look<br />
round and see one person who wants<br />
me to win! In Elena Timina, Rapid<br />
Luzern has that player tenfold.<br />
Many distinguished moments but<br />
forever Elena Timina will be known<br />
for her doubles partnership with Irina<br />
Palina.<br />
The duo reached the quarter-final<br />
stage of proceedings at both the<br />
Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996<br />
Olympic Games; notably, in addition,<br />
in January 1992 winning the women’s<br />
doubles title at the English Open in<br />
somewhat strange circumstances. At<br />
the tournament I had been finalising<br />
details with Elena to start later in the<br />
year in September in what was to be<br />
her two year stint at Grove Table Tennis<br />
Club. The pair progressed smoothly<br />
through the rounds but when due<br />
to play in the final they were nowhere<br />
to be seen; officials wondered if I’d<br />
organised political asylum and hidden<br />
them in my home town of Market<br />
Drayton, an hour’s drive distant.<br />
I pleaded not guilty and was relieved<br />
when the two arrived; they had<br />
misread the schedule and had gone<br />
shopping! The match was rescheduled;<br />
they were allowed to play and<br />
duly beat England’s Andrea Holt and<br />
Lisa Lomas in the final, both players<br />
with whom Elena was to be a club<br />
colleague later in the year.<br />
Elena Timina was to leave the club<br />
on good terms in 1994 and it was Lisa<br />
Lomas who reflected on her departure<br />
in the best possible way “everybody<br />
liked Elena” was the comment, very<br />
true, a credit to club, country and most<br />
importantly to the sport of table tennis.<br />
Irina Palina, soul mate and doubles partner<br />
Irina and I hit it off from the start;<br />
we became close friends and soul<br />
mates, which helps a lot when you<br />
are playing doubles.<br />
We had a totally different approach<br />
and ways of playing defensively.<br />
Irina stayed closer to the<br />
table and was able to place the<br />
ball perfectly; she was very good<br />
at changing tempo and creating<br />
unexpected attacks. I played further<br />
away from the table and made<br />
sure all the balls were returned so<br />
we stayed in the rally as long as<br />
possible.<br />
I was more safe and solid, so Irina<br />
knew that she could take more<br />
risks. Sometimes I made impossi-<br />
Deep in thought (left to right) Irina Palina, Karina Kostenko, Oksana Grek (née Chichenjova),<br />
Elena Timina<br />
Galina Melnik friend and teammate<br />
ble saves; I was the spirit and she<br />
was the brains of our doubles partnership.<br />
We were a perfect combination.<br />
To add to this we were both<br />
really hard workers and fighters.<br />
We tried to qualify for our third<br />
Olympic Games in 2000 but unfortunately<br />
we were not successful;<br />
maybe I was not fit enough after<br />
giving birth to Andrej.<br />
Like Irina, Galina Melnik was<br />
another great friend and teammate<br />
for many years; the three of us<br />
won the only Team World Cup in<br />
the history of Russia or the Soviet<br />
Union.<br />
Elena Timina<br />
Irina Palina, soul mate<br />
22<br />
23
The<br />
Revolution<br />
by Colin Clemett<br />
Around<br />
1900 the<br />
vellum-covered<br />
“battledores” that had<br />
been used in early forms<br />
of table tennis were beginning<br />
to be superseded by<br />
more durable wooden rackets.<br />
Inevitably, players sought ways of enhancing<br />
the spin that a racket could apply<br />
and soon began experimenting with<br />
a wide range of coverings. Cork, sandpaper,<br />
felt and various types of rubber all<br />
had their exponents but it is clear that this<br />
variety was not considered to be a problem<br />
when in 1926 the newly-formed ITTF<br />
agreed a set of common Laws for the sport.<br />
The racket law that was adopted was the<br />
shortest and least restrictive of all the<br />
Laws, saying simply “The racket may be<br />
of any material, size, shape or weight”.<br />
However, by the 1930s pimpled rubber<br />
covered rackets had become<br />
the de facto standard in international<br />
play, the main difference<br />
between them being<br />
probably the name of the<br />
star player who had<br />
endorsed them.<br />
This situation<br />
remained<br />
when the<br />
ITTF resumed<br />
full<br />
operation<br />
after World<br />
War Two;<br />
in the immediate<br />
post-war<br />
period the<br />
only change<br />
to the racket<br />
law, in 1947,<br />
was to say that the racket must not<br />
be light coloured or brightly reflecting.<br />
There was still seen no reason<br />
to place any other restriction on the<br />
blade or its covering; this all changed<br />
in 1952.<br />
The World Championships that year<br />
were to be held for the first time in<br />
Asia, with the Indian Association<br />
hosting them in Bombay. Up to that<br />
time every men’s singles title had<br />
been won by a European player and<br />
the general expectation was that one<br />
of them, or one of the rising stars such<br />
as the Americans Marty Reisman<br />
and Dick Miles, would become the<br />
new champion. Most of the players<br />
featured in the Championships programme<br />
were established European<br />
contenders and the only mention of<br />
the eventual winner was his name in<br />
the draw.<br />
The first indication that something<br />
unexpected was to happen came in<br />
the <strong>Swaythling</strong> Cup match between<br />
England and Japan, when Richard<br />
Bergmann, the four-time World Champion,<br />
faced Hiroji Satoh, the number<br />
three Japanese player. Bergmann,<br />
having won the first game 21-10, did<br />
not expect any difficulty in completing<br />
the match but, to his astonishment,<br />
lost the next game 13-21 and the third<br />
and deciding game 15-21. To emphasise<br />
that this was not just a lucky<br />
win Satoh then beat Johnny Leach,<br />
another former World Champion, 18-<br />
21, 21-10 and 21-13, so an unknown<br />
on what was his 27th birthday had<br />
decisively defeated two of the world’s<br />
top players.<br />
His successes continued in the individual<br />
event where he beat, among<br />
others, Marty Reisman, Ferenc Sido<br />
and Joszef Koczian, conceding only<br />
two games on his way to the men’s<br />
singles title. A report in the English<br />
Table Tennis Association magazine<br />
read: “All else in the singles was<br />
overshadowed by the modest, bespectacled<br />
Satoh, who softly won<br />
point after point with an apologetic air.<br />
Player after player came off the table<br />
bewitched, bothered and bewildered,<br />
without a clue as to how they lost.<br />
Some attributed it to not being able to<br />
hear the ball, others to the exceptional<br />
side-spin. I noticed that whenever Satoh<br />
returned a hard hit on his forehand<br />
side the other player invariably put his<br />
next shot well off the table, no matter<br />
whether he hit or pushed. It was like<br />
playing a ball for chop only to find that<br />
it had heavy top-spin.”<br />
In his autobiography “The Money<br />
Player” Marty Reisman, one of the<br />
only players to take a game from<br />
Satoh, describes his experience. “I<br />
learned that speed, except for the<br />
sheer speed that a forehand drive<br />
could produce, was of no use at<br />
all against that devilish racket and<br />
was actually counter-productive. My<br />
backhand shots sank into the foam<br />
rubber and were flung back to me with<br />
amazing force. It was as if my own<br />
power was being used against me.<br />
Satoh’s racket was doing all the work<br />
for him. All he had to do was to place<br />
his racket on the ball and it would absorb<br />
it; then hurl it back. I was playing<br />
an attacking game against myself and<br />
I was doing all the work.”<br />
Satoh’s surprising defeats of Bergmann<br />
and Leach were his team’s only<br />
wins in the <strong>Swaythling</strong> Cup match<br />
against England and he was the only<br />
Japanese player to reach the quarter-finals<br />
of the singles but Japanese<br />
players won both the men’s and<br />
women’s doubles events. They all<br />
used rackets covered with a layer of<br />
sponge rubber, about one centimetre<br />
thick. There was no sound when the<br />
ball was struck and it seemed that a<br />
fierce and deceptive spin could be imparted<br />
to the ball. The sponge rubber<br />
covered racket was a not new idea;<br />
Hiroji Sato, his thick sponge racket was dubbed<br />
the Anti-Christ by prominent members of the<br />
hard bat community.<br />
Ivor Montagu recalled that he, and<br />
others, had used one in his university<br />
days and that it had not been significantly<br />
better than other types. So why<br />
was it so effective now? The most<br />
likely explanation was a combination<br />
of the extra thickness of the sponge<br />
layer and, more important, players’<br />
skill in exploiting its characteristics.<br />
Nevertheless, it was rumoured that<br />
a new material had been developed<br />
and even that the sponge layer concealed<br />
some mechanical or electronic<br />
device that caused the ball to take<br />
an unexpected trajectory. There were<br />
demands for all the Japanese rackets<br />
to be subjected to official scrutiny but<br />
it was pointed out that to do so would<br />
be meaningless because the Laws<br />
placed no restriction on the design of<br />
the racket. It was suggested also that<br />
sponge rackets should be banned immediately<br />
from international competition<br />
but the ITTF Advisory Committee<br />
felt that this would be premature and<br />
recommended only that the matter<br />
be kept under review to see how the<br />
situation developed.<br />
Japan did not send a team to the<br />
1953 World Championships, preferring<br />
to concentrate on the Asian<br />
Championships which were held that<br />
year in Tokyo. Perhaps in consequence,<br />
there was no mention of the<br />
so-called “sponge racket problem” at<br />
the 1953 ITTF Annual General Meet-<br />
At the Bombay 1952 World Championships<br />
Hiroji Sato, changed the world.<br />
24<br />
25
ing. However, by that time players at<br />
all levels were experimenting with various<br />
types of similar racket coverings,<br />
including sponge rubber faced with<br />
pimpled rubber. Manufacturers had<br />
quickly seen the sales opportunity and<br />
a wide range of sponge-based racket<br />
coverings was available, each with<br />
its own claims of superiority. It was<br />
soon obvious that views on the use of<br />
sponge were polarised. It was strongly<br />
opposed by those who felt that technology<br />
was being substituted for skill<br />
while others welcomed the opportunity<br />
to develop new techniques; few were<br />
entirely neutral.<br />
At the 1954 Annual General Meeting,<br />
there was a proposition from the<br />
Welsh Association to ban the use of<br />
sponge rubber and another, from the<br />
English Association, to require the<br />
ITTF Advisory Committee to launch<br />
an enquiry into “the prevalence, use<br />
and effects of sponge in each territory<br />
of the ITTF”, the results to be reported<br />
to all associations by the end of<br />
that year. After extensive discussion<br />
both propositions were lost but in the<br />
Championships there was a reminder<br />
that sponge was still a controversial<br />
matter when another little-known<br />
Japanese player, Ichiro Ogimura, decisively<br />
beat world-class players such<br />
as Ferenc Sido, Ivan Andreadis and<br />
Tage Flisberg to win the men’s singles<br />
title. In 1955 another sponge-using<br />
Japanese player, Toshio Tanaka,<br />
was the singles champion and for the<br />
following two years he and Ogimura<br />
alternated for the title.<br />
It was not just the unexpected results<br />
that were causing concern. In the<br />
1930s a major problem had been the<br />
preponderance of lengthy matches<br />
when some players had developed a<br />
style of keeping the ball in play while<br />
not risking any attacking strokes.<br />
When two such players met an<br />
individual match could last an hour.<br />
After the notorious two hours, 12<br />
minutes rally between Alojzy Ehrlich<br />
and Farkas Paneth at the 1936 World<br />
Championships it was agreed that<br />
action was needed. Several measures<br />
were introduced to encourage attacking<br />
play and shorten games; including<br />
lowering the net and applying the time<br />
limit and expedite rules. The concern<br />
now was that rallies were so short,<br />
with little or no tactical build-up to the<br />
winning of a point, spectators would<br />
lose interest and wonder why supposedly<br />
skillful players were making so<br />
The Stiga “Flisan” Tage Flisberg thick sponge bat with textured surface; Tage<br />
Flisberg was beaten by Ichiro Ogimura in the men’s singles final at the 1954 World<br />
Championships in London<br />
The unusual Barna thick sponge bat with giant<br />
pimples.<br />
many mistakes.<br />
It was partly for this reason that in<br />
1955 the ITTF Advisory Committee<br />
decided to seek the views of associations<br />
but the response was poor and<br />
at the 1956 Annual General Meeting<br />
it was reported that only four replies<br />
had been received. Reminders were<br />
sent out and personal contact made<br />
with as many associations as possible;<br />
by the time of the 1957 Annual<br />
The Barna thick sponge bat, the thickness<br />
clearly visible.<br />
General Meeting it appeared that<br />
about half the voting strength was in<br />
favour of some sort of standardisation<br />
of the racket. The Advisory Committee<br />
recommended that associations now<br />
be asked to indicate whether, if there<br />
were to be standardisation, it should<br />
be on the basis of thickness only or<br />
by a combination of thickness and<br />
material and this was agreed.<br />
There was no ITTF General Meeting<br />
in 1958, as in 1957 it had been<br />
decided that the World Championships<br />
would be held only in alternate<br />
years but the Advisory Committee<br />
met to review the outcome of the<br />
latest enquiry. This confirmed that<br />
there was a clear majority in form of<br />
standardisation and some indication<br />
that those who supported the principle<br />
preferred it to be based on pimpled<br />
rubber. The Standing Orders Committee<br />
was asked to advise on the best<br />
way to proceed and it recommended<br />
that, during the 1959 Biennial General<br />
Meeting, there should be two separate<br />
debates and informal votes, the first<br />
on the principle of standardisation and<br />
then, if that was agreed, on whether it<br />
should be by pimpled rubber only. The<br />
Advisory Committee, taking account<br />
of the outcome, should then try to<br />
draft a proposition that would achieve<br />
the necessary 75 per cent majority.<br />
The debates and votes were duly<br />
held and resulted in a 64-25 vote in<br />
favour of standardisation and a 50-35<br />
preference for pimpled rubber only but<br />
neither majority was sufficient to assure<br />
success in a formal vote. Speakers<br />
on both sides warned of the possible<br />
danger to the unity of the ITTF if<br />
the question was left unresolved and<br />
urged the Advisory Committee to find<br />
a compromise solution.<br />
After informal discussions the Committee<br />
finally agreed on two possible<br />
propositions. The first, from the<br />
Chinese Association, was to allow<br />
either pimpled rubber only or sandwich<br />
rubber with pimples inward or<br />
outward and a maximum thickness of<br />
4mm. The second, from Ake Eldh of<br />
Sweden, in his personal position as<br />
an Advisory Committee member, was<br />
for pimpled rubber or sandwich rubber<br />
with pimples outward only and no<br />
maximum thickness.<br />
A sub-committee was set up to consult<br />
delegates and it was concluded<br />
that only the first of these propositions<br />
had any chance of being accepted,<br />
albeit reluctantly, both by those who<br />
favoured pimpled rubber only and by<br />
those who were opposed to standardisation<br />
and it was, therefore, submitted<br />
to the Biennial General Meeting. This<br />
led to a long and heated discussion<br />
with supporters and opponents of<br />
standardisation both expressing their<br />
disapproval of what was being offered.<br />
However, when the proposition<br />
was put to a formal vote it was carried<br />
Johnny Leach found Hiroji Satoh a whole<br />
new experience.<br />
The thick sponge pen-hold racket used by<br />
Ichiro Ogimura.<br />
Seen here at the 1998 World Veteran Championships, Marty Reisman was one of the<br />
few players to extract a game from Hiroji Sato.<br />
by 72 votes to 19, both sides having<br />
recognised, presumably, that an arrangement<br />
which fully satisfied neither<br />
was better than a continuing conflict;<br />
on Wednesday 1st July 1959 the Law<br />
became essentially what it is today.<br />
This year is the 60th anniversary of<br />
what was probably the most significant<br />
change in playing equipment<br />
since the ITTF was established. So<br />
what happened to the man whose<br />
achievement had led to the racket<br />
revolution? In 1952 Hiroji Satoh was<br />
runner up in the Asian Championships<br />
men’s singles but he never again<br />
played in World Championships and<br />
soon disappeared from the international<br />
scene.<br />
He died in 2000 at the age of 75,<br />
perhaps not fully aware of his place in<br />
table tennis history.<br />
“Reading the various accounts<br />
of the disagreements and<br />
the manoeuvrings of the<br />
participants in the saga of<br />
racket standardisation I<br />
couldn’t help thinking that<br />
of substituting “Brexit” for<br />
“sponge rubber”. Let’s hope<br />
that problem doesn’t take nine<br />
years to be sorted out.”<br />
Colin Clemett<br />
26<br />
27
A first appearance, for Indonesia’s<br />
David Jacobs, it was success on<br />
debut; in Las Vegas on Sunday<br />
24th June he won the men’s Singles<br />
40-44 years title at the 2018<br />
World Veteran Championships.<br />
He succeeded in the youngest<br />
age group; it is the category where<br />
you may well encounter players<br />
who continue to compete in the<br />
highest division of their domestic<br />
national league and even some<br />
who ply their skills on a professional<br />
basis. Logic suggests to<br />
succeed you must be at your fittest<br />
and have no ailments or incapacities.<br />
There is no questioning the<br />
fitness, the skill and the determination<br />
of the 41 year old but he is<br />
a Class 10 Para athlete; he revels<br />
in the opportunity the sport of table<br />
tennis provides to test his abilities,<br />
to prove himself and on a wide<br />
range of fronts.<br />
Success in Las Vegas, on home<br />
soil in Jakarta in <strong>October</strong>, he followed<br />
suit by claiming gold at the<br />
Asian Para Games before in Buenos<br />
Aires repeating the success<br />
at the Copa Tango in November.<br />
Sandwiched in between he<br />
competed in the World Para<br />
Championships in Lasko, Slovenia.<br />
In a period of less than<br />
six months he was in action in<br />
North America, Asia, Europe and<br />
then Latin America!<br />
An astounding schedule but for<br />
his travels he gave the best reason<br />
possible. “I like to play, I like<br />
the competition, my friend wanted<br />
to play at the World Veteran<br />
Championships, Las Vegas is<br />
special, so we came to play; most<br />
certainly I intend to play in 2020 in<br />
Bordeaux,” said David Jacobs.<br />
At home when there is no tournament<br />
on the calendar, he<br />
practises two hours per day. He is<br />
government employee, the situation<br />
being that he can devote his<br />
undivided attention to table tennis.<br />
Competing in Para table tennis he<br />
28<br />
Success<br />
at<br />
First<br />
receives government support, for<br />
the World Veteran Championships,<br />
alongside colleague Ismu Harinto,<br />
with whom he won the Men’s Doubles<br />
40 to 44 years event, the pair<br />
secured sponsorship from Adiwarna<br />
Mika, a local company.<br />
Furthermore, has David Jacobs<br />
fallen into an age group category,<br />
which with the World Veteran<br />
Championships being held every<br />
two years, means he could consistently<br />
avoid some well-known<br />
names as the years advance?<br />
“In Las Vegas, the level in the 40<br />
to 44 years class was not so high;<br />
it didn’t have players like Jörgen<br />
Persson or Jörg Rosskopf”, added<br />
David Jacobs. “There were<br />
some good Chinese players<br />
present who had emigrated to<br />
the United States; overall my<br />
services and my forehand top<br />
spin were effective and my legs<br />
were strong, because I’m in fulltime<br />
training, perhaps I was just a<br />
little too fast.”<br />
Success in Jakarata and Las<br />
Vegas; after making his debut in<br />
Para events at the Asian Games<br />
in 2010 in Guangzhou when he<br />
won bronze; two years later at the<br />
London 2012 Paralympic Games<br />
he secured the same colour. A<br />
most significant achievement but<br />
perhaps the most notable event<br />
of that year was when he played<br />
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, at<br />
the time, the President of Indonesia<br />
and a keen supporter of<br />
Para sport.<br />
A host of medals have come<br />
the way of David Jacobs, an<br />
acknowledgement of his efforts<br />
being at the 2015 ITTF Star<br />
Awards in Lisbon, when<br />
named “Male Para Player<br />
of the Year”, an accolade<br />
he justly reveres.<br />
“Winning the award in<br />
Lisbon was a big surprise, I never<br />
believed I would win; it is very<br />
unusual for people from my coun-<br />
World Veteran Championships<br />
2018 Gold: Men’s Singles 44-40 Years<br />
South East Asian Championships<br />
2001 Gold: Men’s Doubles (Yon Mardiono)<br />
Pekan Olahraga National Championships<br />
2004 Gold: Men’s Singles<br />
Paralympic Games<br />
2012 Bronze: Men’s Singles Class 10<br />
World Para Championships<br />
2014 Bronze: Men’s Team Class 10-9 (Komet Akbar)<br />
Asian Para Games<br />
2017 Gold: Men’s Singles Class 10<br />
2014 Gold: Men’s Singles Class 10<br />
2014 Silver: Men’s Team Class 9-10 (Komet Akbar)<br />
2010 Bronze: Men’s Singles Class 10<br />
Asian Para Championships<br />
<strong>2019</strong> Silver: Men’s Singles Class 10<br />
<strong>2019</strong> Gold: Men’s Team Class 10 (Komet Akbar)<br />
2015 Gold: Men’s Singles Class 10<br />
2015 Silver: Men’s Team Class 10 (Komet Akbar)<br />
2013 Silver: Men’s Singles Class 10<br />
2013 Silver: Men’s Team Class 10 (Komet Akbar)<br />
Bronze medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games<br />
try to win such awards,” stressed<br />
David Jacobs. “The bronze medal<br />
in London was very special, now my<br />
aim is to be in Tokyo in 2020; this<br />
I year had an extra motivation with<br />
the Asian Para Games being in my<br />
home country, I worked really hard<br />
for that title.”<br />
Notable successes in Para and Veteran<br />
tournaments but it was in the<br />
main stream where he first enjoyed<br />
success; born in Ujung Pandang,<br />
now Makassar, David Jacobs began<br />
playing table tennis when ten years<br />
old, in 1989 his parents registered<br />
him with the PTP Club in Semarang,<br />
he became the national elementary<br />
schools champion.<br />
Later the family moved to Jakarta<br />
where he attended high school; he<br />
joined the UMS 80 Club and gained<br />
a place in the provincial team.<br />
Clearly talented in 1997 he travelled<br />
to Beijing where he attended the Shi<br />
Cha Hai Sports School. The outcome<br />
was that in 2000 he was selected<br />
to represent Indonesia at the<br />
2000 World Team Championships in<br />
Kuala Lumpur.<br />
Combining study with playing, he<br />
gained a degree in management at<br />
the Perbanas School of Economics,<br />
enjoying notable men’s doubles<br />
success in 2001. Partnering Ismu<br />
Harinto he was a bronze medallist at<br />
the South East Asia Games in Kuala<br />
Lumpur, in harness with Yon Mardiono,<br />
gold medallist at South East<br />
Asia Championships in Singapore.<br />
A familiar face at the South East<br />
Asia Games, he competed in 2003<br />
in Vietnam, in 2005 in the Philippines<br />
and in 2007 in Thailand.<br />
Likewise he was on World Championships<br />
duty in 2001 in Osaka and<br />
in 2005 in Shanghai; additionally, he<br />
represented Indonesia at the 2003<br />
Asian Championships in Bangkok,<br />
two years later in Jeju and in 2007 in<br />
Yangzhou.<br />
A busy sporting life, also David<br />
Jacobs is a family man; married, he<br />
has four children, three boys and<br />
one girl.<br />
29
Budapest reflections: when did<br />
it last happen?<br />
Ma Long, winner for the<br />
third consecutive time<br />
The dust has settled, concluding<br />
on Sunday 28th April, the Liebherr<br />
<strong>2019</strong> World Championships is now<br />
resigned to history; fascinating as<br />
all previous in the past ten decades<br />
but perhaps more than any<br />
other it tested the memory bank.<br />
Above all else the question raised<br />
was “when did this last happen?”<br />
Nowhere was that more relevant<br />
than in the men’s singles event.<br />
An absence from the international<br />
scene for almost six months,<br />
emerging successful when returning<br />
to action on the ITTF World<br />
Tour in Qatar in late March; but<br />
was that sufficient evidence to<br />
suggest that Ma Long could win<br />
the men’s singles title for a third<br />
time and repeat the success of<br />
Suzhou and Düsseldorf?<br />
Was he physically fit enough?<br />
Was he mentally ready for the<br />
test? Was he attuned to international<br />
competition? Ma Long<br />
answered in style and thus joined<br />
the illustrious group of Victor<br />
Barna and Zhuang Zedong, the<br />
only previous players to have held<br />
the St Bride’s Vase aloft on three<br />
consecutive occasions.<br />
Ma Long did not start the favourite;<br />
a new world ranking scheme<br />
introduced in January 2018, the<br />
effects of which meant he was<br />
the no.11 seed. It begged the<br />
question, when had the defending<br />
champion not been listed amongst<br />
the top eight names? The draw for<br />
the 1928 World Championships<br />
in Stockholm, the second staging<br />
of the tournament, suggests that<br />
it might have been the same for<br />
Dr Roland Jacobi, the winner at<br />
the inaugural edition two years<br />
earlier! Equally, when did a player<br />
outside the top eight names last<br />
secure the men’s singles title at a<br />
World Championships; not Werner<br />
Schlager in 2003 in Paris, the vote<br />
goes to Kong Longhui 1995 in<br />
Tianjin.<br />
Thus we watched the draw avidly,<br />
could there be a possible repeat<br />
of the final of two years earlier<br />
in Düsseldorf when in seven<br />
games Ma Long had beaten Fan<br />
Zhendong, a contest which many<br />
believed had taken playing standards<br />
to a new level. In Budapest,<br />
Fan Zhendong was the top seed;<br />
the draw made, the possibility<br />
of a repeat final did not materialise,<br />
they were scheduled for a<br />
semi-final clash. Likewise that did<br />
not happen; Fan Zhendong was<br />
beaten in round four by colleague<br />
Liang Jingkun.<br />
Defeat for Fan Zhendong, he never<br />
reached the heights of Düsseldorf<br />
but can we not draw a parallel<br />
with Ma Long? He needed five<br />
attempts before he succeeded.<br />
Accepted Kong Longhui won on<br />
debut but for most it takes time.<br />
At the 2007 World Championships<br />
in Zagreb, Ma Long suffered the<br />
indignity of being the only Chinese<br />
player, male or female, to<br />
lose a singles match against an<br />
opponent from foreign shores.<br />
He tried to blast Korea Republic’s<br />
Joo Saehyuk out of the water and<br />
came unstuck. On the next three<br />
occasions, commencing in 2009<br />
in Yokohama, he was beaten by<br />
Wang Hao in the semi-final round,<br />
performances below par. Moreover,<br />
he had to watch his contemporary,<br />
the player he had lined up<br />
alongside at the first ever World<br />
Junior Championships in 2003 in<br />
Chile, Zhang Jike, become Olympic<br />
and World champion. In 2015<br />
in Suzhou there were questions<br />
to be answered just as this year<br />
in Budapest but of a rather more<br />
pressing nature; Ma Long answered<br />
with aplomb.<br />
Now, to a lesser extent does that<br />
scenario apply also to Xu Xin?<br />
The fortunes of the draw meant<br />
that he was the only member of<br />
the Chinese national team in the<br />
lower half. Just as Fan Zhendong<br />
had not really lived up to expectations,<br />
it was the same for Xu Xin;<br />
he was beaten in the third round<br />
by Frenchman, Simon Gauzy.<br />
The departure of Xu Xin and<br />
An Jaehyun from qualification to bronze<br />
medal<br />
Simon Gauzy ended the hopes of Xu Xin<br />
later that of Germany’s Timo Boll<br />
through illness, meant the lower<br />
half of the draw was open wide.<br />
The man to take advantage of the<br />
situation was Sweden’s Mattias<br />
Falck, the no.16 seed. He reached<br />
the final beating only one higher<br />
rated player, that being Korea<br />
Republic’s Lee Sangsu, the no.6<br />
seed, in the fourth round.<br />
At the semi-final stage he was the<br />
favourite; he faced An Jaehyun,<br />
named at no.152 on the men’s<br />
world rankings and of the Korea<br />
Republic players on that list, the<br />
tenth highest! He had gained the<br />
last place in his nation’s team<br />
Mattias Falck exceeded all expectations<br />
Liang Jingkun, semi-finalist at first attempt<br />
ahead of Lim Jonghoon, at the<br />
time ranked no.17 in the global<br />
order. Again the question was<br />
raised, when had players with<br />
such rankings or similar contested<br />
a World Championships men’s<br />
singles semi-final?<br />
Simply being selected to compete<br />
in Budapest, for Jaeyhun Christmas<br />
and birthday celebration had<br />
come early; he was born on Saturday<br />
25th December 1999. Furthermore,<br />
he more than justified his<br />
worth. In round two he had beaten<br />
Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto, the<br />
no.4 seed, in the quarter-finals, he<br />
had ousted colleague Jang Woo-<br />
31
jin, the no.10 seed.<br />
Outstanding from An Jaehyun<br />
but great credit to Mattias Falck,<br />
whatever the seeding may have<br />
read, the semi-final duel was in<br />
the balance, he responded. Guided<br />
by Jörgen Persson, who had<br />
experienced both the disappointment<br />
of defeat in a men’s singles<br />
world final in 1989 and elation of<br />
success in 1991, nothing should<br />
detract from his efforts and performance.<br />
Runner up spot for Mattias Falck,<br />
he defied the odds and defied the<br />
odds in another aspect. He uses<br />
short pimpled rubber on the forehand;<br />
accepted in 1999 in Eindhoven<br />
using that surface, China’s<br />
Liu Guoliang became world champion<br />
but to find a shake-hands<br />
grip player who reached the men’s<br />
singles final at a World Championships<br />
using short pimpled rubber<br />
on the forehand in any guise, we<br />
must go back 60 years! In 1959 in<br />
Dortmund, Hungary’s Ferenc Sido,<br />
using a pimpled rubber racket that<br />
did not possess a layer of sponge<br />
as in the modern day era, experienced<br />
defeat in the title deciding<br />
contest at the hands of Rong<br />
Guotuan, the first ever Chinese<br />
world champion in any sport. It<br />
was the end of one era, the start<br />
of another.<br />
Three in a row from Ma Long; that<br />
was the goal for Ding Ning but<br />
like Ma Long there were question<br />
marks. There had been a break<br />
from international play in 2018 for<br />
some six months and since succeeding<br />
in Düsseldorf, although<br />
she had on her return from the layoff<br />
won the Uncle Pop Women’s<br />
World Cup in Chengdu, she had<br />
only two ITTF World Tour women’s<br />
singles titles to her credit. She had<br />
won in her native China in 2017<br />
and one year later in Bulgaria.<br />
Minimal problems reaching the<br />
penultimate round but that was<br />
where the journey ended; she was<br />
beaten by colleague Liu Shiwen,<br />
a contest that appeared to be<br />
Not three in a row for Ding Ning<br />
progressing in favour of Ding Ning<br />
after she had won the first two<br />
games. Pressing the accelerator<br />
Liu Shiwen levelled matters; did<br />
we not expect the reigning Olympic<br />
champion to stem the recovery?<br />
Thoughts went back to the epic<br />
final in 2015 in Suzhou when, at<br />
the start of the seventh game,<br />
Ding Ning had twisted her ankle<br />
and had somehow managed to<br />
beat Liu Shiwen virtually playing<br />
on one leg. No similar heroics ensued,<br />
it was quite the reverse. Liu<br />
Shiwen won the fifth game without<br />
surrendering a single point! One<br />
expected the so called mercy<br />
point at 10-0, there was no mercy!<br />
The sheer speed of Liu Shiwen<br />
had overwhelmed Ding Ning. It<br />
was the same in the sixth game,<br />
Liu Shiwen a trifle more generous,<br />
she allowed Ding Ning two points!<br />
Imposing, a place in the final<br />
booked, could Liu Shiwen repeat<br />
the performance in opposition<br />
to Chen Meng? She did in more<br />
Liu Shiwen en route to gold<br />
Adriana Diaz, the furthest ever for a Latin<br />
American in the women’s singles event<br />
ways than one; she prevailed in<br />
six games and, as against Ding<br />
Ning in the fifth game, did not<br />
surrender a single point. Once<br />
again, the young lady who since<br />
2009 in Yokohama had been<br />
three times a bronze medallist<br />
and twice the runner up was in<br />
no mood for charity. She saw<br />
her chance, she seized the opportunity.<br />
China was dominant, all three<br />
steps of the podium, Chen Meng<br />
having beaten Wang Manyu in<br />
the counterpart semi-final. Significantly,<br />
the threat for honours<br />
from Japan was thwarted in the<br />
quarter-finals. Miyu Kato and<br />
Miu Hirano lost respectively to<br />
Liu Shiwen and Ding Ning. The<br />
expected challenge from Mima<br />
Ito, having beaten Liu Shiwen,<br />
Ding Ning and Zhu Yuling at the<br />
2018 Swedish Open in November<br />
to secure the title, did not<br />
materialize; the Chinese coaches<br />
had done their homework.<br />
In the third round Mima Ito was<br />
soundly beaten by Sun Yingsha.<br />
Success for Liu Shiwen, the<br />
games won without losing a single<br />
point, added to the bank of<br />
“when was the last time it happened”<br />
questions. The answer<br />
I’m sure was never and there<br />
was one more “never” answer.<br />
Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz<br />
reached the women’s singles<br />
third round; the furthest any<br />
player from Latin America has<br />
ever reached in the history of<br />
the event.<br />
Perhaps an air of disappointment<br />
for Japan but there were<br />
places on the podium in both<br />
the women’s doubles and mixed<br />
doubles events.<br />
Hina Hayata and Mima Ito<br />
commenced play, the women’s<br />
doubles top seeds, they progressed<br />
to the final without due<br />
alarm; never extended the full<br />
seven games distance, notably<br />
accounting for colleagues Honoka<br />
Hashimoto and Hitomi Sato,<br />
Mima Ito and Hina Hayata, first Japanese women’s doubles’ finalists since 1971<br />
A third consecutive final for Maharu Yoshimura and Kasumi Ishikawa<br />
Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen, mixed doubles gold medallists<br />
34<br />
35
the no.3 seeds, in the penultimate<br />
round. Arguably, it was to their<br />
advantage that the Japanese pairings<br />
were drawn in the opposite<br />
half to the Chinese combinations<br />
who likewise, as status predicted,<br />
advanced to the semi-finals.<br />
Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu,<br />
the no.2 seeds accounted for<br />
colleagues, Chen Meng and Zhu<br />
Yuling, the no.4 seeds.<br />
Finalists decided, could Hina<br />
Hayata and Mima Ito end the<br />
run of Chinese success in the<br />
women’s doubles event that had<br />
lasted since unbroken for over 30<br />
years? The most recent pairing<br />
not from China to lift the title being<br />
Korea Republic’s Hyun Junghwa<br />
and Yang Youngja in 1987 in New<br />
Delhi. It looked possible after they<br />
won the first two games but then<br />
the Chinese duo responded, they<br />
secured the next four and the title.<br />
However, Hina Hayata and Mima<br />
Ito could reflect on their efforts<br />
with a degree of pride. They were<br />
the first Japanese pair to reach a<br />
World Championships women’s<br />
doubles final since Mieko Hirano<br />
and Reiko Sakamoto lost to China’s<br />
Lin Huiqing and Zheng Minzi<br />
in the title deciding contest in 1971<br />
in Nagoya. Furthermore, since<br />
that date and until the gathering<br />
in Budapest, a Chinese pair had<br />
always been the runners up; it<br />
was no mean achievement for the<br />
Japanese duo, at the time of the<br />
tournament both only 18 years old.<br />
Two steps of the podium reserved<br />
by Japan in the women’s doubles,<br />
in the mixed doubles it was just<br />
one, the second step. Maharu<br />
Yoshimura and Kasumi Ishikawa<br />
experienced defeat in the final at<br />
the expense of the idyllic combination<br />
formed by left handed<br />
pen-hold grip dexterity of Xu Xin<br />
and the right handed fast attacking<br />
skills of Liu Shiwen.<br />
Nevertheless, the outcome ensured<br />
the Japanese duo of a place<br />
alongside the best the sport has<br />
witnessed. In 2015 in Suzhou they<br />
36<br />
Sun Yingsha halted the progress of<br />
Mima Ito<br />
João Monteiro and Tiago Apolonia secured<br />
first ever medal for Portugal at a World<br />
Championships<br />
Ovidiu Ionescu and Alvaro Robles, simply<br />
sensational<br />
Silver for Chen Meng<br />
had finished in the same position<br />
losing once again to Xu Xin, who<br />
on that occasion partnered Korea<br />
Republic’s Yang Haeun. Two<br />
years later in Düsseldorf they secured<br />
the title at the final expense<br />
of Chinese Taipei’s Chen Chien-<br />
An and Cheng I-Ching.<br />
Thus they became only the third<br />
pair ever to reach three consecutive<br />
World Championships mixed<br />
doubles finals. Hungary’s Miklos<br />
Szabados and Maria Mednyanszky<br />
won in 1930 in Berlin and the<br />
following year in Budapest before<br />
being the runners up in 1932 in<br />
Prague. Highly successful but the<br />
most successful of all is in more<br />
modern times; commencing in<br />
1991 in Chiba, China’s Wang Tao<br />
and Liu Wei won on three consecutive<br />
occasions.<br />
Notably, as in the women’s doubles,<br />
Chinese pairs were drawn<br />
in the same half, at the semi-final<br />
stage Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen<br />
had beaten Fan Zhendong and<br />
Ding Ning; in the men’s doubles<br />
it was a similar scenario. In the<br />
penultimate round Ma Long and<br />
Wang Chuqin accounted for Liang<br />
Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan; in the<br />
final they faced the combination<br />
of Romania’s Ovidiu Ionescu and<br />
Spain’s Alvaro Robles, the pair<br />
that had come together by chance.<br />
Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu women’s<br />
doubles winners<br />
Just under one year earlier, at the<br />
2018 ITTF World Tour China Open<br />
they had combined for the first<br />
time; sensationally they beat Ma<br />
Long and Xu Xin at the semi-final<br />
stage before losing to Fan Zhendong<br />
and Lin Gaoyuan.<br />
In Budapest they accounted for<br />
Portugal’s Tiago Apolonia and<br />
João Monteiro in the penultimate<br />
round prior to finding Ma Long and<br />
Wang Chuqin a step too far.<br />
Once again, as in other events,<br />
the question “when did that last<br />
happen” at a World Championships<br />
raised its head; on three<br />
counts “never” was the answer. It<br />
was the first time a reigning Olympic<br />
champion and Youth Olympic<br />
champion had ever combined;<br />
more significantly, it was the first<br />
ever medal won by Portugal, the<br />
first by Spain.<br />
A series of firsts, outcomes that<br />
gave food for thought but there<br />
was one conclusion that did not<br />
test the historian; once again<br />
sheer quality, intricate attention to<br />
detail prevailed, China completed<br />
the clean sweep, déjà vu.<br />
Ma Long, men’s singles gold medallist<br />
The Liebherr <strong>2019</strong><br />
World Championships<br />
Budapest, Hungary<br />
Sunday 21st – Sunday 28th April<br />
Men’s Singles<br />
Quarter-Finals: Liang Jingkun (CHN)<br />
bt Koki Niwa (JPN) 12-10, 10-12,<br />
11-8, 11-4, 9-11, 7-11, 11-5; Ma Long<br />
(CHN) bt Lin Gaoyuan (CHN) 11-8,<br />
11-9, 11-8, 11-4; An Jaehyun (KOR)<br />
bt Jang Woojin (KOR) 12-10, 10-12,<br />
7-11, 11-3, 11-5, 8-11, 12-10; Mattias<br />
Falck (SWE) bt Simon Gauzy (FRA)<br />
11-8, 11-13, 11-6, 11-3, 11-7<br />
Semi-Finals: Ma Long (CHN) bt<br />
Liang Jingkun (CHN) 11-8, 6-11, 11-<br />
9, 11-9, 14-12; Mattias Falck (SWE)<br />
bt An Jaehyun (KOR) 8-11, 11-7,<br />
3-11, 11-4, 11-9, 2-11, 11-5<br />
Final: Ma Long (CHN) bt Mattias Falck<br />
(SWE) 11-5, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-5<br />
Women’s Singles<br />
Quarter-Finals: Ding Ning (CHN) bt<br />
Miu Hirano (JPN) 11-8, 4-11, 11-2,<br />
11-7, 11-9; Liu Shiwen (CHN) bt Miyu<br />
Kato (JPN) 11-9, 8-11, 11-4, 11-6,<br />
11-5; Wang Manyu (CHN) bt Sun<br />
Yingsha (CHN) 11-9, 10-12, 21-19,<br />
11-6, 9-11, 11-8; Chen Meng (CHN)<br />
bt Doo Hoi Kem (HKG) 9-11, 11-7,<br />
11-7, 8-11, 12-10, 11-4<br />
Semi-Finals: Liu Shiwen (CHN) bt<br />
Ding Ning (CHN) 6-11, 9-11, 11-5,<br />
11-5, 11-0, 11-2; Chen Meng (CHN)<br />
bt Wang Manyu (CHN) 11-5, 11-7,<br />
11-5, 11-8<br />
Final: Liu Shiwen (CHN) bt Chen<br />
Liu Shiwen, women’s singles champion<br />
Meng (CHN) 9-11, 11-7, 11-7, 7-11,<br />
11-0, 11-9<br />
Men’s Doubles<br />
Semi-Finals: Ovidiu Ionescu / Alvaro<br />
Robles (ROU/ESP) bt Tiago Apolonia<br />
/ João Monteiro (POR) 11-6,<br />
3-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8;<br />
Ma Long / Wang Chuqin (CHN) bt<br />
Liang Jingkun / Lin Gaoyuan (CHN)<br />
12-10, 11-7, 11-7, 11-5<br />
Final: Ma Long / Wang Chuqin<br />
(CHN) bt Ovidiu Ionescu / Alvaro<br />
Robles (ROU/ESP) 11-3, 8-11, 11-7,<br />
11-3, 11-5<br />
Women’s Doubles<br />
Semi-Finals: Hina Hayata / Mima Ito<br />
(JPN) bt Honoka Hashimoto / Hitomi<br />
Sato (JPN) 11-9, 10-12, 14-16, 11-<br />
5, 11-5, 11-7; Sun Yingsha / Wang<br />
Manyu (CHN) bt Chen Meng / Zhu<br />
Yuling (CHN) 11-3, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6,<br />
9-11, 11-5<br />
Final: Sun Yingsha / Wang Manyu<br />
(CHN) bt Hina Hayata / Mima Ito<br />
(JPN) 8-11, 3-11, 11-8, 11-3, 12-10,<br />
11-8<br />
Mixed Doubles<br />
Semi-Finals: Xu Xin / Liu Shiwen<br />
(CHN) bt Fan Zhendong / Ding Ning<br />
(CHN) 11-5, 11-8, 13-11, 16-14; Maharu<br />
Yoshimura / Kasumi Ishikawa<br />
(JPN) bt Patrick Franziska / Petrissa<br />
Solja (GER) 11-9, 11-6, 11-6, 7-11,<br />
11-6<br />
Final: Xu Xin / Liu Shiwen (CHN) bt<br />
Maharu Yoshimura / Kasumi Ishikawa<br />
(JPN) 11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-4<br />
37
Milestones for Brazil<br />
by Nelson Ayres<br />
Gustavo Tsuboi<br />
Vitor Ishiy<br />
Israel Stroh<br />
Hugo Calderano<br />
The names of seven players appeared<br />
in the opening round at the<br />
Liebherr <strong>2019</strong> World Championships<br />
in Budapest; it was a landmark<br />
achievement for Brazil.<br />
In the men’s singles Hugo Calderano,<br />
Gustavo Tsuboi and Eric Jouti<br />
all received direct entries to the main<br />
draw, Thiago Monteiro and Vitor Ishiy<br />
successfully negotiated the qualification<br />
stage. Likewise in the women’s<br />
singles Bruna Takahashi enjoyed a<br />
seeded position, Gui Lin progressed<br />
through the preliminary group phase.<br />
A milestone for Brazil, one month<br />
later, there was another; the 40th<br />
anniversary of the Brazilian Table<br />
Tennis Confederation (CBTM) was<br />
celebrated, the foundation date being<br />
Thursday 30th May 1979.<br />
witnessed the growth of table tennis<br />
in Brazil; the situation now a far cry<br />
from four decades ago.<br />
“Previously table tennis was run by<br />
the Brazilian Sports Confederation<br />
and had a department, the Table<br />
Tennis Advisory Council”, explained<br />
Alaor Azevedo. “I was a member of<br />
the Council, becoming President in<br />
1978 and responsible for the creation<br />
of the new CBTM.”<br />
The first President of the Brazilian<br />
Table Tennis Confederation was José<br />
Pereira Antelo. He gained office by<br />
a mere one vote. After two terms in<br />
office, Alaor Azevedo assumed the<br />
role; except for the period between<br />
1992 and 1995 when Ivam Vinhas<br />
held the reins, Alaor Azevedo has<br />
always been the man at the helm.<br />
Eric Jouti<br />
Bruna Takahashi<br />
Guilherme Teodoro<br />
Present throughout in official roles<br />
have been Alaor Azevedo and Ivam<br />
Vinhas, both members of the Swaything<br />
Club International. Both have<br />
38<br />
“In those 40 years there have been<br />
many advances in table tennis in Brazil”,<br />
explained Ivam Vinhas. “CBTM<br />
has its own headquarters, credibility<br />
Thiago Monteiro<br />
Gui Lin<br />
Welder Knaf<br />
39
Ivam Vinhas<br />
Hugo Hoyama now the women’s team<br />
national coach.<br />
with the International Table Tennis<br />
Federation, better communication<br />
with federations, athletes and sports<br />
lovers. There are federations in<br />
almost all Brazilian states; we have a<br />
calendar of national competitions. We<br />
have the money to participate in all<br />
the Continental Championships and<br />
World Championships.”<br />
Recently there has been an increasing<br />
in investment in professional<br />
management. In 2018 the Brazilian<br />
Table Tennis Confederation was voted<br />
the second best sports federation<br />
in terms of governance actions.<br />
“I feel very proud to have participated<br />
in a team that changed the history<br />
of Brazilian table tennis”, stressed<br />
Ivam Vinhas. “I am happy to have<br />
40<br />
Alaor Azevedo at the 2018 Brazilian Championships<br />
Giulia Takahashi, an outstanding talent<br />
been the Vice President for many<br />
years as well as being proud of the<br />
confidence placed in me by President<br />
Alaor. I follow the results of the CBTM<br />
religiously and I am very happy when<br />
I see the successes.”<br />
Undoubtedly, the quality of play in<br />
the Brazilian national team has never<br />
been higher.<br />
“The rise in the Brazilian level of play<br />
began with the struggle to progress<br />
from the third division to the second<br />
division at the World Championships;<br />
that in itself was a spectacular<br />
success”, continued Ivan Vinhas.<br />
“Today, the Brazilian team plays in<br />
the highest division; this gives me<br />
great joy. I have high hopes that at<br />
the next Olympic Games, Brazil will<br />
win a medal.”<br />
A positive outlook from Ivam Vinhas;<br />
his views are echoed by Alaor Azevedo.<br />
“We have been growing, we have<br />
maintained a level of success at the<br />
Pan American Games”, explained<br />
Alaor Azevedo. “However, we have<br />
never had such a position on the<br />
world stage as we do know; there is<br />
the rise of Hugo Calderano and the<br />
success of Bruna Takahashi. In 2015<br />
she won the girls’ singles title at the<br />
ITTF World Cadet Challenge.”<br />
Hugo Calderano is very much the<br />
name that comes to mind but of<br />
course, so does that of Hugo Hoyama.<br />
Now coach for the national<br />
women’s team, he is a player who<br />
has enjoyed unprecedented success<br />
at the Pan American Games, a total<br />
of 10 gold, one silver and four bronze<br />
is his medal haul.<br />
Equally in the para field, there has<br />
been most notable progress; at the<br />
Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, the<br />
first ever medal in the table tennis<br />
events was secured, Welder Knaf<br />
partnered the late Luiz Algacir to<br />
silver in men’s team class 3.<br />
Meanwhile, at the Rio 2016 Paralympic<br />
Games, Israel Stroh was a silver<br />
medallist in men’s singles class 7;<br />
Bruna Alexandre won bronze in women’s<br />
singles class 10 and partnered<br />
Danielle Rauen to the same colour<br />
medal in women’s team class 6-10.<br />
Furthermore, Iranildo Espindola and<br />
Guilherme Marcio da Costa emerged<br />
bronze medallists in men’s team<br />
class 1-2.<br />
“We assumed control of para table<br />
tennis in 2007 just before the Beijing<br />
Paralympic Games. We have had a<br />
great evolution”, said Alaor Azevedo<br />
“In 2016, Brazil invested around US$<br />
300,000 and won four medals in the<br />
Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.<br />
In addition at the 2017 World Para<br />
Team Championships, Bruna Alexandre,<br />
Jennyfer Parinos and Danielle<br />
Rauen won gold in women’s team<br />
class 9-10. We are today one of the<br />
top 10 world powers, just like in the<br />
Olympic Games.”<br />
Meanwhile in the junior and cadet<br />
age groups, young players like<br />
Guilherme Teodoro and Rafael Torino<br />
impress as for the girls do Giulia<br />
Takahashi and Laura Watanabe.<br />
It is a situation of which Alaor Azevedo<br />
can reflect with pride.<br />
“I had the honour of chairing the<br />
40th anniversary of CBTM, we have<br />
to thank all the employees for their<br />
dedication”, stressed Alaor Azevedo.<br />
“It was their strength that enabled us<br />
to advance to the level we have now<br />
reached.”<br />
Now well established, the past four<br />
decades has been a period when<br />
table tennis in Brazil has witnessed<br />
consistent growth, resulting in a most<br />
healthy present day situation. The<br />
growth appears set to continue.<br />
Viva o Brasil!<br />
New brand, new strategies<br />
Staged in July at the Trevisan<br />
Business School in São Paulo, in<br />
the presence of members of both<br />
the business community and sport,<br />
the Brazilian Table Tennis Confederation<br />
launched a new highly visual<br />
identity; the aim being to present a<br />
modern image and thus increase<br />
the share of the sporting market.<br />
Designed by Karen Saji, the identity<br />
depicts the characteristics of table<br />
tennis, dynamism, speed and agility,<br />
as well as the Brazilian character of<br />
positivity and action.<br />
“In this proposal, we used the<br />
colours of the national flag, as presented<br />
in most other sports brands.<br />
The new brand makes reference<br />
to the stylised design of the flag”,<br />
explained Karen Saji. “The yellow<br />
stroke refers to the movement of the<br />
ball when it touches the table, the<br />
action of attacking play, suggesting<br />
that it was a point. The blue and<br />
green shapes represent the table<br />
in perspective, to give the notion of<br />
speed and strength. We also adopted<br />
the name “Table Tennis Brazil“<br />
for promotion.”<br />
The eye catching identity reflects<br />
the “High Level Route”, an initiative<br />
started in 2009 under the guidance<br />
of Alaor Azevedo and Geraldo<br />
Campestrini, the Chief Executive<br />
Officer of the Brazilian Table Tennis<br />
Confederation, the target being to<br />
establish the country as a major<br />
world force in addition to increasing<br />
participation at a local level. Un-<br />
doubtedly, there is now a role model<br />
in Hugo Calderano.<br />
“In addition to seeking to further<br />
evolve in the governance area,<br />
we want to structure table tennis<br />
to create a consumer market for<br />
brands and products”, explained<br />
Geraldo Campestrini. “We intend to<br />
invest more and more in table tennis<br />
as a form of leisure, making people<br />
fall in love with the sport, whilst also<br />
being able to watch the sport at the<br />
highest level.”<br />
Integration<br />
Talent detection was the order of<br />
proceedings in July and it was talent<br />
detection with a difference; in this<br />
respect Brazil is also very much in<br />
the vanguard. Integration was the<br />
key factor.<br />
A total of 49 players, able bodied<br />
and para athletes from nine<br />
Brazilian states (Amapa, Amazonas,<br />
Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais,<br />
Parana, Rio de Janeiro, Rondonia,<br />
Santa Catarina and São Paulo),<br />
attended the Brazilian Paralympic<br />
Training Centre, in São Paulo.<br />
Under the direction of Portugal’s<br />
Ricardo Farias, national coaches<br />
Lincon Yasuda and Jorge Franck<br />
were present alongside para team<br />
coaches Andrew Martins, Paulo<br />
Molitor, Raphael Moreira and Alexandre<br />
Ghizi.<br />
“We did an analysis at the end of<br />
the programme. One of the positive<br />
points that all agreed was the<br />
coexistence between Olympic and<br />
Paralympic athletes. Olympic and<br />
Paralympic athletes at the same table<br />
provided a great deal of energy”,<br />
explained Andrew Martins. “Another<br />
very positive point was the number<br />
of children registered. In the Olympic<br />
field alone, we had 70 entries,<br />
we selected less than half. There<br />
were three daily training sessions,<br />
it was very important to see their<br />
progress. We had a lot of talented<br />
athletes and it was hard to choose<br />
the best.”<br />
Further talent detection training<br />
camps will be staged.<br />
41
The Forgotten World’s First<br />
Table Tennis Shoe<br />
Stellan Bengtsson<br />
Ichiro Ogimura<br />
George Braithwaite<br />
At the start of his professional career, Ogimura himself had to fashion<br />
his own playing apparel, customising clothes designed for other sports<br />
to suit his playing style. Self-modifying his own racket grips, he made<br />
innovations which still influence designs today.<br />
Working with the Japanese firm, Ogimura designed a white canvas<br />
shoe that offered exceptional grip on any surface, in any direction; a<br />
light, comfortable upper which allowed maximum freedom of movement.<br />
The world’s first table tennis shoe was born, the Sharpman.<br />
Glenn Cowan<br />
by Philip Eggersgluess<br />
42<br />
The Sharpman, the world’s first purpose built table tennis shoe, personally<br />
designed by Ichiro Ogimura, the winner of 12 gold, five silver and<br />
three bronze medals at the World Championships, was once the gold<br />
standard for champions around the globe, before it quietly disappeared.<br />
When Ichiro Ogimura approached the Japanese sports shoe company,<br />
Koyo Bear, in the 1950s, the table tennis equipment market looked a<br />
whole lot different, products simply didn’t exist.<br />
Pak Yung Sun<br />
Wearing the Sharpman shoe<br />
43
As a touring champion, Ogimura<br />
travelled the world, introducing his<br />
Koyo Bear Sharpmans to fellow<br />
players and students along the<br />
way. Many of these players would<br />
go on to become world champions<br />
themselves, no doubt thanks<br />
in part to their footwear. Notable<br />
wearers included Japan’s Shigeo<br />
Ito and Sweden’s Stellan Bengtsson,<br />
the respective men’s singles<br />
winners in 1969 in Munich and<br />
1971 in Nagoya, as well as DPR<br />
Korea’s Pak Yun Sun women’s<br />
singles gold medallist in 1975 in<br />
Calcutta and two years later in<br />
Birmingham.<br />
Additionally, the shoe was worn<br />
by United States international,<br />
George Braithwaite and most significantly<br />
by his compatriot Glenn<br />
Cowan, a player with a special<br />
place in sporting history. After<br />
a practice session at the World<br />
Championships in Nagoya, inadvertently<br />
he boarded the shuttle<br />
bus back to the hotel carrying the<br />
Chinese team, an act that was to<br />
contribute to what is historically<br />
known as “Ping Pong Diplomacy“<br />
and the visit to China in 1972 of<br />
Richard Nixon, the United States<br />
President.<br />
The advertisement that appeared in the January 1977 edition of Table Tennis News, the<br />
official journal of the English Table Tennis Association<br />
At their height during the 1960s<br />
and 1970s, Koyo Bear Sharpmans<br />
dominated the international table<br />
tennis scene. Sold worldwide,<br />
their iconic blue stripe and soles<br />
became synonymous with the<br />
game itself. Alas, the shoe slowly<br />
disappeared, production officially<br />
ceasing in 1989. Only a handful of<br />
original Sharpmans survive to this<br />
day.<br />
Now we have the luxury to choose<br />
from a whole range of table tennis<br />
shoes for which we must pay tribute<br />
to Ichiro Ogimura; the Sharpman<br />
was the groundbreaking<br />
grandfather of them all. Lost but<br />
not forgotten.<br />
The cover of Time magazine for Monday 26th April 1971, showing members of the United States team on the Great Wall of China, the<br />
players and officials are wearing the Sharpman Koyo Bear shoe.<br />
Standing left to right: Rufford Harrison, John Tannehill, Judy Hoarfrost (née Bochenski), Olga Soltesz, Madeline Buben, Connie Sweeris,<br />
George Buben, Graham Steenhoven, Tim Boggan, George Braithwaite<br />
Sitting and squatting left to right: Glenn Cowan, Dick Miles<br />
44<br />
German advertisement Hans Alser (left) and (right) Kjell Johansson, European and<br />
World men’s doubles Champions<br />
45
Table tennis for everyone, everywhere<br />
Buenos Aries<br />
Argentina<br />
70 countries<br />
158 events<br />
63,000 participants<br />
2015<br />
World Table Tennis Day Grows<br />
Established in 2015, a main event<br />
detailed each year with 6th April<br />
being the focus day, for the first time<br />
in <strong>2019</strong> World Table Tennis Day was<br />
celebrated in 100 countries.<br />
United Nations<br />
Headquarters<br />
New York<br />
Kathmandu Nepal<br />
93 countries<br />
453 events<br />
2017<br />
90,000 participants<br />
83 countries<br />
196 events<br />
2016<br />
47,000 participants<br />
97 countries<br />
Za’atari Refugee Camp<br />
Jordan<br />
Hoima and Kampala, Uganda<br />
107 countries<br />
579events<br />
2018<br />
93,000 participants<br />
579events<br />
<strong>2019</strong><br />
700,000 participants<br />
2015 Buenos Aires<br />
46<br />
47
2016 Nepal<br />
Wilfried Lemke, Special Adviser to<br />
the United Nations Secretary-General<br />
(left) and (right) Young Sam Ma, the<br />
Co-Chair of the Sport and Persons<br />
with Disabilities Working Group<br />
2017 New York<br />
United Nations (left to right) Joël Bouzou,<br />
President of Peace and Sport,<br />
Thomas Weikert, ITTF President)<br />
alongside Kanak Jha and Tal Leibovitz<br />
Andorra - playing at altitude<br />
2018 Jordan<br />
Za’atari Refugee Camp in Jordan<br />
Philippines - Municipality of Isabela Sports Festival<br />
<strong>2019</strong> Kampala<br />
<strong>2019</strong> Kampala - Ibrahim Hamadtou<br />
(right) lost both arms in a train accident<br />
when ten years old. He displays<br />
his skills<br />
Kosovo - playing outdoors in Prizren<br />
Latvia - control exercised in Kekeva<br />
48<br />
49
South Africa - any size of tablesufficient in Kuruman<br />
Bhutan - a tournament was organised in Mongar<br />
Malaysia - competition time in Selangor<br />
Poland - the first steps in Prabuty<br />
Tonga – ready to play<br />
Pakistan - table tennis for all in Peshawar Park<br />
50<br />
Ecuador – a fun time<br />
51
In Memoriam<br />
Dexter St Louis, heart of the<br />
Caribbean<br />
Dexter St Louis at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games<br />
Instantly recognisable with his long<br />
dreadlocks, a sportsman in the true<br />
sense of the word, upholding the<br />
highest standards, born on Thursday<br />
26th March 1968, Trinidad and Tobago’s<br />
Dexter St Louis passed away on<br />
Thursday 16th May; he was only 51<br />
years old.<br />
Primarily based in Bordeaux where<br />
he competed in the French League for<br />
S.A.G. Cestas, Dexter St Louis was<br />
the Caribbean icon.<br />
Notably he competed in the Manchester<br />
2002 Commonwealth Games,<br />
the first occasion when table tennis<br />
was included in the multi-sport event;<br />
he raised the eyebrows of the locals<br />
when against England in the group<br />
stage of the men’s team event he remained<br />
unbeaten. Even more notably,<br />
at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth<br />
Games, a period of 16 years<br />
later, once again he was on duty for<br />
Trinidad and Tobago.<br />
Additionally he competed in the<br />
Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, later in<br />
the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the<br />
path to the tournament in the Chinese<br />
capital city being one that all present<br />
at the Latin American Qualification<br />
event in Santo Domingo, Dominican<br />
Republic, will never forget. Competing<br />
for the very last available place, in<br />
the seventh game against Mexico’s<br />
Marcos Madrid, Dexter St Louis ap-<br />
52<br />
peared down and out; he recovered,<br />
secured the vital game by the minimal<br />
two point margin, promptly ripped off<br />
his shirt and stood on the table in the<br />
guise of a successful warrior prince.<br />
An exuberant character, a showman;<br />
in fact Dexter St. Louis was the exact<br />
opposite. In the hotel, away from the<br />
glare of the playing arena, he would<br />
be sitting reading the Financial Times<br />
or similar. It was not for him late nights<br />
and drinking; talk to him and you<br />
realised you were in the company of<br />
a very astute, intelligent associate; a<br />
man of the very highest integrity.<br />
Wherever he played Dexter St Louis<br />
was respected, a fact recognized in<br />
Xalapa at the 2014 Central American<br />
and Caribbean Games; a special<br />
presentation was made in his honour,<br />
he accepted in his usual gracious<br />
manner.<br />
Always on the international stage<br />
Dexter St Louis was accompanied by<br />
his stepdaughter Rheann Chung; she<br />
competed in the recent Liebherr <strong>2019</strong><br />
World Championships in Budapest<br />
and at the Lima <strong>2019</strong> Pan American<br />
Games. They were a team, either<br />
mixed doubles or one sitting on the<br />
bench advising the other.<br />
He passed away surrounded by his<br />
wife, Jeromaine and two daughters,<br />
Rheann and Axelle.<br />
Bas den Breejen,<br />
former Chair<br />
ITTF Media Committee<br />
Honorary member of the Netherlands<br />
Table Tennis Federation, Bas den<br />
Breejen passed away on Wednesday<br />
24th April; born on Thursday 7th May<br />
1925, he died just two weeks short<br />
of what would have been his 94th<br />
birthday.<br />
Most notably Bas den Breejen was<br />
the Chair of the ITTF Media Committee,<br />
fulfilling the role under the tenure<br />
of three Presidents; Ichiro Igimura,<br />
Lollo Hammarlund and Xu Yinsheng.<br />
In that position he was present at the<br />
1995 Team World Cup in Atlanta and<br />
one year later in the same city for the<br />
1996 Olympic Games. Furthermore,<br />
he occupied that position at the 1997<br />
World Championships in Manchester<br />
before handing over office.<br />
Ever enthusiastic, two years later<br />
at the 1999 World Championships<br />
in Eindhoven, the first occasion on<br />
which individual events only were<br />
staged; he was present in a different<br />
role. He organised a display of memorabilia.<br />
The sport at heart, in recognition<br />
of his services to the International<br />
Table Tennis Federation, in 1993<br />
Bas den Breejen received the ITTF<br />
Merit Award. Moreover, also he was<br />
the recipient of the Order of Oranje-Nassau.<br />
A prestigious award, the<br />
Order of Orange-Nassau, founded on<br />
Monday 4th April 1892 by the Queen<br />
Regent Emma, on behalf of her under<br />
age daughter Queen Wilhelmina, is<br />
quoted as open to: “everyone who<br />
has earned special merits for society”.<br />
Bas den Breejen was most deserved<br />
recipient.<br />
Jeff Ingber, junior international<br />
by Diane Webb<br />
One of the first ever junior internationals,<br />
his debut in 1950; born<br />
in 1935 in Manchester, Jeff Ingber<br />
passed away on Sunday 7th July.<br />
A distinguished career, starting in an<br />
era when the United Kingdom was<br />
recovering from the turmoil of World<br />
War Two; as a member of the England<br />
junior team, in 1951 Jeff undertook<br />
a 29 day tour of Sweden and<br />
Norway alongside John Hunt and Cliff<br />
Booth, Tommy Sears was the captain.<br />
Overall, 21 matches, an invitation<br />
tournament and an exhibition match<br />
comprised the busy schedule; of the<br />
21 matches England won 20, Jeff won<br />
43 of his 53 encounters, distinguishing<br />
himself by beating Bo Malmquist.<br />
Extensive journeys taking some 12<br />
hours, the group enjoyed the sight of<br />
beautiful scenery as they travelled;<br />
coming from an austere post war<br />
Britain, where much was still rationed,<br />
Jeff recalled the food was amazing.<br />
In England chocolate and steak<br />
were virtually unheard of; a snippet<br />
in the magazine “Table Tennis” read:<br />
“bought chocolates to send home; ate<br />
chocolates”.<br />
Later in 1957 he made his first senior<br />
appearance for England, playing<br />
against Yugoslavia in Norwich; it was<br />
to be the first of almost 60 such caps.<br />
In total, he played in three World<br />
Championships just missing out on<br />
a medal in 1961 when the England<br />
men’s team finished fourth; his best<br />
individual result being with Elsie<br />
Carrington in the mixed doubles when<br />
they reached the round of 16 in 1959,<br />
notably beating the strong United<br />
States pair of Dick Miles and Leah<br />
Neuberger. Jeff also played in the<br />
European Championships and many<br />
international matches. In the Quadrangular<br />
Tournament he won men’s<br />
team gold in 1960, 1961 and 1962,<br />
never losing a singles or doubles<br />
match. Jeff also captained England<br />
and was an England selector.<br />
Notably, at the English Open he<br />
enjoyed success, Jeff played in the<br />
tournament for the first time in 1947 in<br />
Manchester, when only 12 years old.<br />
Although he lost in the first round the<br />
encouragement he received spurred<br />
him to greater heights. In 1952 he<br />
reached the semi-final in the junior<br />
boys’ singles event and was the junior<br />
boys’ doubles runner up. A good year,<br />
the year 1961 was even better; Jeff<br />
and Kathy Best were mixed doubles<br />
runners up just missing out on<br />
the gold medal to Hungary’s Zoltan<br />
Berczik and Eva Foldi.<br />
Similarly at the National Championships,<br />
which began in 1960, Jeff<br />
added medals to his collection. In the<br />
inaugural year, he won mixed doubles<br />
silver partnering Jean McCree and<br />
men’s singles bronze, the latter a feat<br />
he repeated in 1962. Later in harness<br />
with Kevin Forshaw he secured men’s<br />
doubles bronze. The other domestic<br />
competition in which Jeff excelled<br />
was the Wilmott Cup, a competition in<br />
which local leagues selected representative<br />
teams. Furthermore, Jeff<br />
won titles at both junior and senior<br />
open tournaments in England, as well<br />
as on five consecutive occasions,<br />
commencing in 1958, being the men’s<br />
singles champion in his native Manchester.<br />
Worthy successes but Jeff described<br />
his proudest moment when winning a<br />
gold medal in the Maccabiah Games<br />
in Israel in 1957 and 1961; in the<br />
latter year he beat fellow England<br />
international Stan Jacobson, a match<br />
which was umpired by Frenchman<br />
Michel Haguenauer before a crowd of<br />
3,000 in the Hilton Hotel.<br />
Moreover, Jeff was a brilliant raconteur<br />
and had a prodigious memory<br />
recalling not only matches he had<br />
played in the 1950s and 1960s but<br />
even scores and individual points. He<br />
was one of the earliest members of<br />
the <strong>Swaythling</strong> Club International<br />
a fact of which he was justly proud;<br />
he attended meetings at home and<br />
abroad whenever he could, to renew<br />
acquaintances with old friends and to<br />
make new ones.<br />
Most notably, Jeff was as interested<br />
in the happenings of the table tennis<br />
world today as he was in the history<br />
of the sport; always he kept up to<br />
date with the progress of the up and<br />
coming youngsters.<br />
Jeff Ingber<br />
Mario Marotti<br />
Swiss champon<br />
by Anton Lehmann<br />
Highly respected, a popular personality<br />
in Swiss table tennis, Mario Mariotti<br />
passed away on Wednesday 3rd<br />
April; born on Wednesday 18th September<br />
1940, he was 78 years old.<br />
Notably, in 1971 he became Swiss<br />
champion, a title he regained in<br />
1976. Renowned for a somewhat<br />
unorthodox forehand, he was a very<br />
stable player, his tactical strategies<br />
and technical skills being virtually the<br />
same throughout his career; perhaps<br />
in his later years becoming more<br />
defensively minded.<br />
A member of the Silver Star Geneva<br />
club, first as a player, then as a<br />
coach, later he became the president.<br />
Notably he advised Thierry Miller<br />
with whom he enjoyed men’s doubles<br />
success. Representing Silver Star<br />
Geneva and having passed his 40th<br />
birthday, he guided the club to success<br />
in the Swiss Championships in<br />
both the 1981-1982 and 1983-1984<br />
seasons.<br />
53
Igor Solopov, steadfast in<br />
the defensive art<br />
Esa Ellonen, Honorary Chair<br />
Finnish Table Tennis Association<br />
by Bengt Ahti<br />
A man with clear goals, elected Honorary<br />
Chair of the Finnish Table Tennis<br />
Association immediately following<br />
his period of office as chair from 1975<br />
to 1989, on Thursday 27th September<br />
2018 Esa Ellonen passed away at the<br />
Espoo Hospital. He was 84 years old.<br />
Mips Van Kampen, former Belgian champion<br />
by Pierre Juliens<br />
player Georges Roland “Who is this<br />
young lady? How old is she, 19, 20<br />
or 21 years old?” Georges replied: “I<br />
don’t know but if she is younger than<br />
23 years old I buy you a drink; in the<br />
other case you pay for the drink. Let<br />
us ask Mips to show her passport.”<br />
At that time Mips was 32 year old.<br />
Richard had to pay the drink!<br />
Uncompromising in achieving the targets<br />
set; his motto was “table tennis -<br />
the way to happiness and success”.<br />
Loyal, Mips Van Kampen was a<br />
member of the <strong>Swaythling</strong> Club International<br />
for over 40 years.<br />
Igor Solopov at the Estonia Memorial tournament on Saturday 28th September 1996<br />
Renowned for his steadfast defensive<br />
abilities, Estonia’s Igor Solopov<br />
passed away on Wednesday 12th<br />
June, he was 58 years old.<br />
Born on Monday 17th April 1961 in<br />
Magnitogorsk, a Russian city located<br />
in the foothills of the Ural Mountains,<br />
his table tennis career started in the<br />
country of his birth in 1971, before<br />
eventually moving to Tallinn in Estonia.<br />
Right handed he became one of<br />
Europe’s leading defensive players,<br />
progressing to win a host of domestic<br />
titles; however it was on the international<br />
stage where he made his mark<br />
and gained the respect of all.<br />
Overall, he competed in seven World<br />
Championships, in addition to being<br />
present in the colours of Estonia at<br />
the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games.<br />
In a competition where only first place<br />
in the initial phase group guaranteed<br />
progress to the main draw he drew the<br />
short straw; he finished in third place<br />
ahead of Tunisia’s Mourad Sta but behind<br />
Sweden’s Jan-Ove Waldner and<br />
Korea Republic’s Kang Hee Chan.<br />
Jan-Ove Waldner progressed to win<br />
the gold medal.<br />
Earlier at three consecutive editions<br />
of the European Youth Champion-<br />
54<br />
ships, in Mödling in 1976, then in<br />
Vichy and in Barcelona he was a<br />
member of the gold winning Soviet<br />
Union outfit in the junior boys’ team<br />
event. Moreover in Barcelona he was<br />
the junior boys’ singles silver medallist,<br />
losing to the Czech Republic’s<br />
Jindrich Pansky in the final.<br />
In addition when only 17 years<br />
old, representing the Soviet Union,<br />
alongside Sarkis Sarkoyan, Anatoli<br />
Strokatov and Valery Shevchenko,<br />
he secured bronze in the men’s team<br />
event at the 1978 European Championships<br />
in Duisburg.<br />
An automatic selection, he represented<br />
Estonia on more than 50 occasions<br />
gaining several national awards for his<br />
services to sport; later he assumed a<br />
coaching role in Sweden.<br />
However, for those present, there is<br />
one lasting memory above all others;<br />
at the 1994 European Championships<br />
in Birmingham, France won the<br />
men’s team title, in the ensuing men’s<br />
singles event, Igor Solopov ended the<br />
progress of their national hero, one of<br />
the favourites for gold.<br />
In the third round he beat Jean-<br />
Philippe Gatien, at the time the reigning<br />
world champion; such was the<br />
quality of Igor Solopov.<br />
In the 1950s, Esa was one of the<br />
most talented table tennis players<br />
in Finland. At the national championships,<br />
he won the men’s singles<br />
title in 1952 and in 1957, the men’s<br />
doubles with Pentti Tuominen in 1954,<br />
1955 and 1957, as well as the men’s<br />
team title in 1952, 1953, 1954 and<br />
1957. In addition, he secured five<br />
silver and one bronze medal.<br />
Notably, Esa represented Finland internationally<br />
at both junior and senior<br />
levelsl, being principally a defensive<br />
player with a most effective backhand<br />
when the opportunity came to seize<br />
the initiative. Moreover, not only was<br />
he a fine table tennis player, he was a<br />
footballer of renown.<br />
During his period in office, in 1977<br />
Finland joined the European League,<br />
progressing to division one after a<br />
period of only two years. The initiative<br />
reflected Esa’s character. “Unless you<br />
dare to face new challenges, there<br />
will be no way forward”, was a favourite<br />
saying.<br />
Esa was the chair of North European<br />
Table Tennis Union, a member of the<br />
ITTF Council and the Board of the<br />
European Table Tennis Union, being<br />
the chair of the training and coaching<br />
committee. In addition, he studied<br />
in the United States becoming an<br />
accomplished linguist and diplomat. It<br />
was certainly no coincidence that the<br />
ever popular Finlandia Open commenced<br />
and that in 1984, the country<br />
hosted the World Veteran Championships.<br />
Reliable and far seeing, always the<br />
future of Finland in his heart; his<br />
stature is reflected in the fact that he<br />
received Golden Award of the Sports<br />
Federation of Finland.<br />
The 1961 Yugoslav Open<br />
Born on Monday 19th <strong>October</strong> 1925<br />
in Antwerp; Mips Van Kampen passed<br />
away on Monday 19th August. Well<br />
respected, she joined the Royal Belgian<br />
Table Tennis Federation in 1949.<br />
In 1957 at the national championships<br />
she won the women’s singles<br />
title and with Maria Van Overloop<br />
enjoyed the same success in the<br />
women’s doubles event; the following<br />
year once again the pair emerged the<br />
victors. Consecutive women’s doubles<br />
successes; in fact it was to be four in<br />
a row. In 1959 and 1960, she secured<br />
the title in partnership with Ghislaine<br />
Roland. A most notable feat, one that<br />
was matched by her mixed doubles<br />
wins in harness with Walter Dugardin;<br />
likewise she claimed four in a row<br />
commencing in 1956.<br />
Overall, she represented Belgium<br />
internationally on 32 occasions.<br />
Notably she competed at the World<br />
Championships in 1955 in Utrecht<br />
and in 1959 in Dortmund; also she<br />
was present at the European Championships<br />
in 1958 in Budapest, 1960<br />
in Zagreb and in 1962 in Berlin. Later<br />
in 1963 she became coach of the<br />
Belgian national women’s team.<br />
Setting high standards of integrity,<br />
upholding the principles of fair play,<br />
there was always a bright smile on the<br />
face of Mips Van Kampen. Moreover<br />
she belied her age, younger looking<br />
than her years suggested.<br />
At the first European Championships<br />
in 1958 in Budapest, Richard<br />
Bergmann asked Belgium’s leading<br />
Edith Santifaller<br />
the stalwart supporter<br />
An outstanding supporter of the World<br />
Veteran Championships, Edith Santifaller<br />
passed away on Sunday 24th<br />
March; she was 86 years old.<br />
Born on Monday 18th July 1932, she<br />
competed in no less than 17 editions<br />
of the World Veteran Championships,<br />
the most recent being in 2014 in Auckland;<br />
overall she won 11 medals, six<br />
being gold; two women’s singles and<br />
four women’s doubles titles.<br />
Table tennis for Edith Santifaller started<br />
in 1949 when 17 years of age, her<br />
father bought her a table tennis table.<br />
She took part in her first tournament in<br />
Merano, winning the women’s singles,<br />
women’s doubles and mixed doubles<br />
events. Soon after she made her<br />
debut at the Italian Championships,<br />
competing in Milan; it was the start of<br />
a career that brought success after<br />
success. She won 112 Italian titles,<br />
the last in Lucera in 2016.<br />
She became the coach of the Italian<br />
junior team and held positions within<br />
the European Table Tennis Union and<br />
the International Table Tennis Federation.<br />
In 1983 she was presented with<br />
the “Knight of the Republic” award<br />
from Sandro Pertini, the Italian President,<br />
before in 1999 receiving the<br />
ITTF Merit Award and soon after the<br />
Golden Star for Sport Merit from the<br />
Italian National Olympic Committee.<br />
Notably from 1978 to 2016 she<br />
served as President of the Provincial<br />
Committee of Bolzano; later, on behalf<br />
Edith Santifaller<br />
of the Italian Table Tennis Federation<br />
she was involved in the organisation<br />
of the 1992 Olympic Games Qualification<br />
tournament, followed by the Italian<br />
Open in 1994 and 1996. Furthermore,<br />
she was instrumental in the organisation<br />
of many European League<br />
matches; she promoted the South<br />
Tyrolean movement and was a founding<br />
member of the Maso della Pieve<br />
of Bolzano Sports. Also in liaison with<br />
Gianfranco Trovo, she was the creator<br />
of the Transalpine Trophy, this year<br />
administered by the Italian Table Tennis<br />
Federation.<br />
Recently, at the Italian Championships<br />
in Bolzano, Renato Di Napoli,<br />
President of the Italian Table Tennis<br />
Federation, arranged the presentation<br />
of a plaque to Edith Santifaller in<br />
recognition of her contribution both<br />
nationally and internationally. It was<br />
received on her behalf by Franz Mair,<br />
her husband.<br />
Professionally, she has always<br />
worked as a teacher; she was the Director<br />
of the Rudolf Stolz Elementary<br />
School in Bolzano.<br />
Finn Arnesen<br />
Member of the <strong>Swaythling</strong> Club International,<br />
Finn Arnesen passed away<br />
on Monday 25th March; most significantly<br />
he received the Honorary Merit<br />
Award from the Norway Table Tennis<br />
Federation in 1971 and was involved<br />
actively until 1971.<br />
55
MEMORABLE MONTHS<br />
Fan Zhendong<br />
April: Lion 32nd ITTF-ATTU Asian<br />
Cup <strong>2019</strong>, Yokohama - All Chinese<br />
finals, Fan Zhendong beat<br />
colleague Ma Long to win the<br />
men’s title; Zhu Yuling clinched the<br />
counterpart women’s event at the<br />
expense of Chen Meng.<br />
May: <strong>2019</strong> ITTF Challenge Slovenia<br />
Open, Otocec – Croatia’s Wei<br />
Shihao emerged the surprise<br />
men’s singles winner; in the final<br />
he beat Poland’s Jakub Dyjas.<br />
The women’s singles title finished<br />
in the hands of Hungary’s Georgina<br />
Pota, she saved match points<br />
before overcoming Ukraine’s Margaryta<br />
Pesotska. Brazil’s Eric Jouti<br />
and Gustavo Tsuboi emerged the<br />
men’s doubles winners; the women’s<br />
doubles gold medals finished<br />
around the necks of Japanese<br />
teenagers Miyuu Kihara and Miyu<br />
Nagasaki. In addition, Miyu Nagasaki<br />
won the under 21 women’s<br />
singles title, the counterpart under<br />
21 men’s singles title finished in<br />
the hands of Chinese Taipei’s<br />
Feng Yi-Hsin.<br />
May: <strong>2019</strong> ITTF Challenge Thailand<br />
Open, Bangkok – Defenders were<br />
to the fore. Germany’s Ruwen<br />
Filus partnered colleague, Steffen<br />
Mengel to men’s doubles gold<br />
before securing the men’s singles<br />
title at the final expense of Korea<br />
Republic’s Seo Hyundeok. Similarly,<br />
backspin skills prevailed in<br />
the women’s singles event, Hitomi<br />
Sato beat Japanese compatriot<br />
Saki Shibata to reserve the top<br />
step of the podium. One title for<br />
Japan, there were two more;<br />
Satsuki Odo and Saki Shibata<br />
claimed the women’s doubles top<br />
prize, Yuka Umemura emerged<br />
the under 21 women’s singles<br />
champion. The under 21 men’s<br />
singles title finished in the hands<br />
of Chinese Taipei; it was success<br />
for Li Hsin-Yu.<br />
the final the duo suffered at the<br />
hands of Germany’s Timo Boll<br />
and Patrick Franziska. Success<br />
for visitors, there was one more;<br />
Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju and<br />
Cheng-Ching won the mixed doubles.<br />
June: <strong>2019</strong> ITTF World Tour Platinum<br />
Lion Japan Open, Sapporo – A<br />
full house for Xu Xin, he beat Lin<br />
Yun-Ju in the men’s singles final<br />
after having secured the mixed<br />
doubles in partnership with Zhu<br />
Yuling and the men’s doubles<br />
in harness with Fan Zhendong.<br />
Successful two years earlier when<br />
required to qualify, China’s Sun<br />
Yingsha repeated the feat; again<br />
not seeded she beat Liu Shiwen<br />
to claim the women’s singles title.<br />
Chen Meng who had replaced<br />
colleague, Ding Ning, at the top<br />
of the world rankings for June,<br />
partnered Liu Shiwen to women’s<br />
doubles success.<br />
in runner up spot in the mixed doubles event, the pair losing to Hong<br />
Kong’s Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem. Two titles for Xu Xin, it was<br />
the same for Chen Meng. She secured the women’s singles title at the<br />
final expense of Ding Ning, have earlier joined forces with Wang Manyu<br />
to claim women’s doubles gold.<br />
Timo Boll and Patrick Franziska<br />
Paul Drinkhall<br />
May: <strong>2019</strong> ITTF Challenge Serbia<br />
Open, Belgrade - England’s Paul<br />
Drinkhall won the men’s singles<br />
event beating Frenchman, Abdel-Kader<br />
Salifou in the final;<br />
Japan’s Hina Hayata overcame<br />
Hong Kong’s Minnie Soo Wai Yam<br />
to secure the women’s singles<br />
title. Minnie Soo Wai Yam claimed<br />
women’s doubles gold partnering<br />
Ng Wing Nam, Portugal’s Diogo<br />
Carvalho and João Geraldo prevailed<br />
in the men’s doubles event.<br />
The respective under 21 men’s<br />
singles and under 21 women’s<br />
singles top prizes were won by<br />
Frenchman Leo de Nodrest and<br />
Russia’s Maria Malanina.<br />
56<br />
Wei Shihao<br />
May: <strong>2019</strong> ITTF Challenge Croatia<br />
Open, Zagreb – An all Swedish<br />
men’s singles final, Anton Källberg<br />
beat Kristian Karlsson to secure<br />
the top prize; likewise it was an all<br />
Japanese women’s singles title<br />
decider, Miyuu Kihara overcame<br />
Miyu Kato to claim gold. Success<br />
for Japan and there was more. Yukiya<br />
Uda won the under 21 men’s<br />
singles title and partnered Shunsuke<br />
Togami to men’s doubles gold.<br />
Similarly Miyuu Kihara allied with<br />
Miyu Nagasaki to claim a second<br />
consecutive women’s doubles success.<br />
Titles for visitors; there was<br />
also the top step of the podium for<br />
the hosts. Sun Jiayi was crowned<br />
under 21 women’s singles champion.<br />
Ruwen Filus<br />
June: <strong>2019</strong> ITTF World Tour Platinum<br />
China Open, Shenzhen – The<br />
host nation’s Ma Long retained his<br />
title but colleague Wang Manyu<br />
fell was one step short. All Chinese<br />
finals, in the men’s singles<br />
event Ma Long beat home town<br />
boy Lin Gaoyuan; in the counterpart<br />
women’s singles competition<br />
Wang Manyu suffered at<br />
the hands of Chen Meng. Further<br />
success for China came in the<br />
women’s doubles, Gu Yuting and<br />
Liu Shiwen emerging victorious.<br />
Success for Ma Long but not in<br />
the men’s doubles; partnering colleague<br />
Wang Chuqin, with whom<br />
he had won the men’s doubles title<br />
in April at the Liebherr <strong>2019</strong> World<br />
Championships, it was defeat. In<br />
June: <strong>2019</strong> European Games,<br />
Minsk – Places in the Tokyo 2020<br />
Olympic Games at stake, Germany<br />
made full use of the opportunity.<br />
Timo Boll beat Denmark’s<br />
Jonathan Groth in the men’s<br />
singles final to reserve his place in<br />
the Japanese capital city; likewise,<br />
Patrick Franziska partnered<br />
Petrissa Solja to mixed doubles<br />
gold. Further success followed for<br />
Germany and thus Tokyo places,<br />
Timo Boll, Patrick Franziska and<br />
Dimitrij Ovtcharov combined to<br />
win the men’s team title; Han Ying,<br />
Nina Mittelham and Shan Xiaona<br />
joined forces to secure women’s<br />
team gold. The one title to elude<br />
Germany was the women’s singles;<br />
Portugal’s Fu Yu beat Han<br />
Ying to reserve the top step of the<br />
podium.<br />
July: <strong>2019</strong> ITTF World Tour Shinan<br />
Korea Open, Busan – Once again<br />
Xu Xin enjoyed success; elevated<br />
to top spot on the world rankings,<br />
replacing Fan Zhendong, he won<br />
the men’s singles title beating Ma<br />
Long in the final, after in partnership<br />
with Fan Zhendong securing<br />
men’s doubles gold. However,<br />
there was to be no full house;<br />
alongside Liu Shiwen, he finished<br />
Chen Meng<br />
Xu Xin<br />
German women’s team - Shan Xiaona, Petrissa Solja, Nina Mittelham, Han Ying<br />
57
Truls Moregard<br />
July: <strong>2019</strong> ITTF World Tour Platinum Australian Open, Geelong – Xu Xin<br />
made it three in a row by beating Wang Chuqin in the men’s singles<br />
final. Sun Yingsha accounted for Ding Ning to secure the women’s<br />
singles title; Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu won the men’s doubles,<br />
Chen Meng and Wang Manyu emerged the women’s doubles champions.<br />
Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem reserved the top prize in the<br />
mixed doubles event.<br />
July: <strong>2019</strong> European Youth Championships,<br />
Ostrava – Sweden’s Truls<br />
Möregard beat Azerbaijan’s Yu<br />
Khinhang to win the junior boys’<br />
singles title; the counterpart junior<br />
girls’ singles title was claimed by<br />
Poland’s Anna Wegrzyn at the<br />
final expense of Italy’s Jamila<br />
Laurenti. Represented by Vladimir<br />
Sidorenko, Maksim Grebnev and<br />
Lev Katsman, Russia secured the<br />
junior boys’ team title. Germany<br />
with Anastasia Bondareva, Sophie<br />
Klee and Franziska Schreiner on<br />
duty emerged the junior girls’ team<br />
champions. Romania’s Denis Movileanu<br />
and Elena Zaharia clinched<br />
the respective cadet boys’ singles<br />
and cadet girls’ singles winners.<br />
July: <strong>2019</strong> Commonwealth Championships,<br />
Cuttack – A full house<br />
for India; Sharath Kamal Achanta,<br />
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and<br />
Harmeet Desai secured the men’s<br />
team title; at the final hurdle of<br />
the women’s team event Manika<br />
Batra, Archana Girish Kamath<br />
and Madhurika Patkar flew the<br />
flag. Harmeet Desai beat Sathiyan<br />
Gnanasekaran to win the<br />
men’s singles title; similarly in the<br />
women’s singles event it was an<br />
all Indian final, Ayhika Mukherjee<br />
gained the verdict at the expense<br />
of Madhurika Patkar. In addition,<br />
Amalraj Anthony and Manav<br />
Vikash Thakkar combined to win<br />
the men’s doubles; Sreeja Akula<br />
and Mousumi Paul emerged the<br />
women’s doubles champions. The<br />
mixed doubles was won by Sathiyan<br />
Gnanasekaran and Archana<br />
Girish Kamath.<br />
ed for Kim Song Il to secure the<br />
men’s singles top prize. Ham<br />
Yu Song and Ri Kwang Myong<br />
emerged the men’s doubles<br />
champions, the women’s doubles<br />
was won by Cha Hyo Sim and Kim<br />
Nam Hae; the mixed doubles by<br />
Ham Yu Song and Cha Hyo Sim.<br />
Pyon Song Gyong was crowned<br />
under 21 women’s singles champion.<br />
August: <strong>2019</strong> ITTF Africa Cup,<br />
Lagos – All Egyptian finals, Omar<br />
Assar won the men’s event beating<br />
Ahmed Ali Saleh in the final; Dina<br />
Meshref secured the women’s title<br />
August: <strong>2019</strong> Pan American Games,<br />
Lima – Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz<br />
emerged the most successful<br />
player. Alongside sister Melanie<br />
and Daniely Rios she won women’s<br />
team gold, having earlier in<br />
the week, in harness with Melanie,<br />
secured the women’s doubles<br />
top prize and clinched the women’s<br />
singles title. In the final she<br />
overcame Wue Yue of the United<br />
States, the defending champion.<br />
Similarly, Hugo Calderano joined<br />
forces with Brazilian colleague,<br />
Gustavo Tsuboi, to win the men’s<br />
doubles title, before beating the<br />
Dominican Republic’s Wu Jiaji to<br />
secure the men’s singles top prize.<br />
The United States represented<br />
by Kanak Jha, Nikhil Kumar and<br />
Nicholas Tio won the men’s team<br />
title, the mixed doubles top prize<br />
was claimed by Canada’s Eugene<br />
Wang and Zhang Mo.<br />
Omar Assar<br />
at the expense of Yousra Helmy<br />
(11-9, 11-9, 11-1, 11-8).<br />
August: <strong>2019</strong> Oceania Junior &<br />
Cadet Championships, Nuku’alofa<br />
– New Zealand’s Nathan Xu beat<br />
Lee Yonghun to gain the verdict in<br />
the junior boys’ singles event and<br />
thus prevented a clean sweep of<br />
titles by Australia. Parleen Kaur<br />
accounted for New Zealand’s Zhou<br />
Jiayi to emerge the junior girls’<br />
singles winner. Earlier alongside<br />
Matilda Alexandersson and Michelle<br />
Wu, she had clinched junior<br />
girls’ team gold, a feat matched in<br />
the boys’ team event by the combination<br />
of Lee Yonghun, Hayden<br />
Green and Nicholas Lum. In all<br />
Australian finals Finn Luu beat<br />
Nicholas Lum to win the cadet<br />
boys’ singles titles; Chermaine<br />
Quah secured the counterpart<br />
cadet girls’ singles top prize at the<br />
expense of Takaimaania Ngata-Henare.<br />
August: <strong>2019</strong> ITTF Challenge Plus<br />
Nigeria Open – The host nation’s<br />
Quadri Aruna retained his men’s<br />
singles title beating Austria’s<br />
Robert Gardos in the final; Polina<br />
Mikhailova accounted for Yana<br />
Noskova in the women’s singles<br />
final, having earlier partnered her<br />
Russian colleague to women’s<br />
doubles gold. The men’s doubles<br />
was won by the combination of<br />
Belgium’s Cédric Nuytinck and<br />
Frenchman Quentin Robinot; Germany’s<br />
Kilian Ort and Wang Yuan<br />
emerged the mixed doubles champions.<br />
In the under 21 events, it<br />
was success for Romania; Cristian<br />
Pletea won the men’s title, the<br />
counterpart women’s crown was<br />
donned by Andreea Dragoman.<br />
July: T2 Diamond, Johor Bahru –<br />
Lin Yun-Ju caused a major upset<br />
by beating Fan Zhendong to win<br />
the men’s singles title; Zhu Yuling<br />
accounted for Wang Manyu to<br />
claim the women’s singles crown.<br />
Kim Song I<br />
58<br />
July: <strong>2019</strong> ITTF Challenge Plus<br />
Pyongyang Open – Kim Song I<br />
won the women’s singles title for a<br />
fourth consecutive year, she beat<br />
Pyon Song Gyong in the final, as<br />
DPR Korea won all but the under<br />
21 men’s singles event; that honour<br />
belonging to Chinese Taipei’s.<br />
Feng Yi-Hsin. An Ji Song account-<br />
Puerto Rico women’s team - Adriana Diaz, Melanie Diaz, Daniely Rios.<br />
Tomokazu Harimoto<br />
August: <strong>2019</strong> ITTF World Tour<br />
Bulgaria Open, Panagyurishte –<br />
Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto beat<br />
China’s Zhao Zihao to arrest the<br />
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men’s singles title; Chen Xingtong<br />
prevailed in the all Chinese<br />
women’s singles final overcoming<br />
He Zhoujia. Gu Yuting and Mu Zi<br />
added to Chinese success by winning<br />
the women’s doubles event;<br />
Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu<br />
contributed to their collection of<br />
men’s doubles titles, Jun Mizutani<br />
and Mima Ito claimed the mixed<br />
doubles top prize.<br />
August: <strong>2019</strong> ITTF World Tour<br />
Czech Open, Olomouc – Lin Yun-<br />
Ju achieved another landmark,<br />
he won his career first ITTF World<br />
Tour men’s singles title beating<br />
Dimitrij Ovtcharov in the final.<br />
Chen Xingtong added to her success<br />
in Panagyurishte as did Gu<br />
Yuting and Mu Zi. Chen Xingtong<br />
beat Japan’s Miu Hirano to claim<br />
the women’s singles title; once<br />
again Gu Yuting and Mu Zi enjoyed<br />
women’s doubles success.<br />
Korea Republic’s Cho Daeseong<br />
won his first ever ITTF World Tour<br />
titles; he partnered Shin Yubin<br />
to mixed doubles success, Lee<br />
Sangsu to the men’s doubles top<br />
prize.<br />
August: <strong>2019</strong> African Games, Rabat<br />
– Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo was<br />
the schock winner of the men’s<br />
singles event, at the final hurdle<br />
beating colleague, Quadri Aruna.<br />
Egypt’s Dina Meshref emerged the<br />
most successful player; she beat<br />
Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou to win<br />
the women’s singles title, after having<br />
joined forces with Farah Abdel-Aziz<br />
and Yousra Helmy to secure<br />
women’s team gold. Later she<br />
partnered compatriot Omar Assar<br />
to mixed doubles success. The top<br />
prize in the women’s team event<br />
meant qualification for the Tokyo<br />
2020 Olympic Games, as it did for<br />
the men’s team who, with Omar<br />
Assar, Khalid Assar and Ahmed<br />
Ali Saleh on duty, had emerged<br />
victorious. A surprise men’s singles<br />
winner, it was the same in the<br />
men’s doubles; Mohamed Boudjadja<br />
and Sami Kherouf won the<br />
first ever gold medal for Algeria<br />
in the table tennis events at an<br />
African Games. Nigeria’s Cecilia<br />
Akpan and Offiong Edem won the<br />
women’s doubles event.<br />
60<br />
Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito<br />
Lin Yun-Ju<br />
Chen Xingtong<br />
Champions - Olajide Omotayo and Dina Meshref<br />
September: <strong>2019</strong> Asian Junior &<br />
Cadet Championships, Ulaanbaator<br />
– China emerged successful<br />
in the junior boys’ and junior girls’<br />
team events; similarly in the cadet<br />
boys’ and cadet girls’ competitions<br />
they prevailed but in the individual<br />
events life was somewhat different.<br />
Xu Yingbin beat Xiang Peng<br />
in a thrilling junior boys’ singles<br />
final, after having partnered Shi<br />
Xunyao to junior mixed doubles<br />
success. Likewise, Chen Yuanyu<br />
and Chen Yi won the respective<br />
cadet boys’ singles and cadet<br />
girls’ singles title but in the remaining<br />
events it was success<br />
for Japan. Miyu Nagasaki beat<br />
colleague Kyoka Idesawa to claim<br />
junior girls’ singles gold, after<br />
having partnered Miyuu Kihara to<br />
junior girls’ doubles title. Similarly,<br />
Shunsuke Togami and Yukiya Uda<br />
secured junior boys’ doubles<br />
top prize.<br />
September: Liebherr <strong>2019</strong> European<br />
Team Championships, Nantes<br />
– Germany and Romania retained<br />
their respective titles, in both<br />
events Portugal being the surprise<br />
runners up. Timo Boll, Patrick<br />
Franziska and Dimitrij Ovtcharov<br />
went throughout the whole tournament<br />
without conceding a single<br />
individual match, accounting for<br />
the combination of Tiago Apolonia,<br />
Marcos Freitas and João Monteiro<br />
in the final. In the women’s<br />
event, Daniela Monteiro Dodean,<br />
Elizabeta Samara and Bernadette<br />
Szocs secured the title at the final<br />
expense of Fu Yu, Shao Jieni and<br />
Leila Oliveira. Similarly they won<br />
in emphatic style surrendering just<br />
one individual match en route<br />
to gold.<br />
September: <strong>2019</strong> Pan American<br />
Championships, Asuncion – Lily<br />
Zhang of the United States<br />
emerged the most successful<br />
player. She remained unbeaten<br />
throughout the whole tournament.<br />
She joined forces with Amy Wang,<br />
Crystal Wang and Wu Yue to win<br />
the women’s team title, before<br />
partnering Zhang Kai to mixed<br />
Men’s doubles winners - Liang Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan<br />
doubles success and Wu Yue to women’s doubles gold. She concluded<br />
matters by overcoming Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi to win the women’s<br />
singles title. Brazil’s Vitor Ishiy emerged the men’s singles champion,<br />
having earlier clinched men’s team gold alongside Gustavo Tsuboi<br />
and Eric Jouti. Argentina’s Gaston Alto and Horacio Cifuentes won the<br />
men’s doubles event.<br />
September: <strong>2019</strong> ITTF Challenge Plus Paraguay Open, Asuncion – Japan’s<br />
Masataka Morizono and Maki Shiomi emerged the most successful<br />
players. Masataka Morizono partnered Slovakia’s Lubomir Pistej to<br />
men’s doubles gold, before overcoming Austria’s Robert Gardos to<br />
secure the men’s singles title. Maki Shiomi won the under 21 women’s<br />
singles title and joined forces with colleague Honoka Hashimoto<br />
to claim women’s doubles gold. Honoka Hashimoto also reached the<br />
women’s singles final, losing to Hina Hayata, also from Japan. Puerto<br />
Rico’s Brian Afanador and Adriana Diaz secured the mixed doubles<br />
title; the under 21 men’s singles event was won by Argentina’s Horacio<br />
Cifuentes.<br />
September: <strong>2019</strong> ITTF Asian Championships,<br />
Yogyakarta – China<br />
completed a clean sweep of titles;<br />
they won both the men’s team<br />
and women’s team events. In all<br />
Chinese finals, Xu Xin beat Lin<br />
Gaoyuan to emerge the men’s<br />
singles champion; in the counterpart<br />
women’s singles competition,<br />
Sun Yingsha captured the top<br />
prize at the expense of Liu Shiwen.<br />
Liang Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan<br />
emerged the men’s doubles<br />
champions, the women’s doubles<br />
title was won by Ding Ning and<br />
Zhu Yuling, the mixed doubles by<br />
Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen.<br />
Miyu Nagasaki<br />
61
WORLDWIDE<br />
Ping Pong<br />
4 a Purpose<br />
Staged at the Dodger Stadium,<br />
Mike Meier was on umpiring duty<br />
on Thursday 8th August for the<br />
7th Annual Ping Pong 4 a Purpose<br />
celebrity tournament. Over the years<br />
the event has raised in excess of US$<br />
7,000,000 for charities and organisations.<br />
Proceedings were directed by<br />
Clayton Kershaw, a pitcher for the Los<br />
Angeles Dodgers, a United States<br />
Major League baseball team.<br />
Mike Meier<br />
Li Jiawei returns<br />
Silver medallist in the women’s team<br />
event at the Beijing 2008 Olympic<br />
Games and bronze medallist four<br />
years later in London, Li Jiawei returned<br />
to competitive action at the Toa<br />
Payoh East-Novena Singapore Table<br />
Tennis Association Veteran Championships<br />
staged on Saturday 15th and<br />
Sunday 16th June. Representing the<br />
Chinese Swimming Club and partnering<br />
Yap Kian Hann (right) the duo<br />
finished in second place in the mixed<br />
team event.<br />
40 years on<br />
Lining up alongside Pongi, the<br />
celebrated Hungarians (left to right)<br />
Istvan Jonyer, Tibor Klampar and<br />
Gabor Gergely, the trio that secured<br />
the men’s team title at the 1979 World<br />
Championships in Pyongyang, were<br />
back together again in Budapest in<br />
April for Liebherr <strong>2019</strong> World Championships.<br />
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