18-year-old leads Germany to tearful "miracle"
The German men's table tennis team falls short of expectations at the Olympics. Quite the opposite for the women: the team advances to the semifinals and is now fighting for medals. Despite bad luck with injuries and thanks to Annett Kaufmann.
France is in awe and celebrating its prodigy Felix Lebrun. The 17-year-old is shaking up the table tennis world with his aggressive play and seems destined to break the eternal dominance of the Chinese. He is already the best player in the rankings who is not from China. While it's still too early to write a similar hero story for Germany, Annett Kaufmann suddenly appears on the Olympic table, poised to become a great one. The 18-year-old secures the semifinals for her injury-depleted team with two spectacular victories against the favored Indian women in singles.
Germany is now fighting for a medal. The next match is against Japan on Thursday. The task will be much harder. The next opponent is listed at position two, behind whom else but China. But the women have already achieved what was much more expected of the men. The men failed miserably against Sweden in Timo Boll's farewell match on Tuesday evening (0:3). The women, however, developed a fighting mentality from the great misfortune before and during the tournament, with top players Ying Han and Nina Mittelham falling out, and showed the world what they're made of.
And Kaufmann especially took advantage of this stage. Still ranked well beyond place 80 in the world rankings, that won't last much longer if she keeps playing like she is in Paris. With remarkable courage, carefree attitude, and precise attacks, she enchants her opponents. In phases, she plays sensational table tennis against India, especially in the last duel against world No. 22 Sreeja Akula, who couldn't keep up with the speed of Kaufmann's balls. Kaufmann played not only cleverly but also aggressively, going on the offensive again and again, placing the small ball close to the edges. This was not grinding defensive tactics, but fierce attack.
"A miracle that we are in the semifinals"
Actually, the match winner was not even planned for the games. Only through the dramatic injury of Ying Han, the 41-year-old defensive specialist who injured her Achilles tendon again just after her comeback, did she make it into the squad. The same applies to Yuan Wan, who replaced the top player Mittelham, who experienced a big drama in singles with a disc injury. "Especially for Nina, but also for our team, this is very bitter," said DTTB sports director Richard Prause, who can therefore be particularly proud of the performance of the "replacement team."
In a hard-fought doubles match, Yuan Wan and Xiaona Shan (11:5, 8:11, 12:10, 11:6) first secured the first point for Germany against Archana Girish Kamath and Sreeja Akula. Then Kaufmann against Manika Batra made the first exclamation point (18:11, 11:5, 11:7, 11:5), before the second followed a wild defeat of Xiaona Shan against Kamath. Already in the previous round against the USA, the 18-year-old contributed two victories. She is still undefeated in Paris. And after she also set her match ball with courage and an aggressive and precise forehand attack, she raised her arms, ran unbelievingly into the arms of her weeping teammates. The big surprise was perfect. For the first time since the 2016 World Championships, the German women have performed better than the German men.
"I am overwhelmed and overjoyed that we are in the semifinals," said Kaufmann: "In my singles matches, I was bold and confident, trying to believe in myself no matter what my opponent did. That's just me, that's my character, I'm a fighter." Even national coach Tamara Boros praised her rising star: "What Annett played today was world-class. It's a miracle that we are in the semifinals."
The Olympic Games 2024 in Paris are drawing closer, and Annett Kaufmann's impressive performances in the current Olympics are gaining her attention. Her aggressive and precise attacks have been a significant factor in Germany's advancement in the competition, securing them a place in the semifinals.
In the midst of discussions about the German men's team's underperformance at the Olympics, Annett Kaufmann's performances have sparked hope for a potential change in fortune at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris.
