Drama and tears at table tennis-ass Middlesex
Nina Mittelham dominates in her table tennis duel against North Korean Pyon Song Gyong, but then reaches for her back and even requires treatment. She is given pain medication, but it doesn't save the match. It could even be the end for the team competition.
Drama surrounding Nina Mittelham: The German table tennis player showed great fighting spirit in the Olympic Games' round of 16 against North Korea's Pyon Song Gyong, despite severe pain. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old lost her second-round match 3-4 and is out of the individual competition.
The European Championship runner-up battled through her match with intense pain, frequently touching her lower back and receiving pain medication from team doctor Toni Kass between sets. She may have suffered a serious back injury. "I feel terrible," Mittelham said afterwards. "It could be a blockage or a herniated disc. We'll do an MRI today if possible," Kass said: "I suspect a blockage, but it was quite intense for that."
Kass had to intervene as early as the second set, trying to mobilize Mittelham behind the table. The physiotherapist also joined in, taping her back with kinesiology tape. Mittelham had previously suffered from a herniated disc, according to ARD commentator Christian Adolph, who said she had addressed the issue before the Games and tried to counteract it with appropriate training.
It is unclear whether she will be able to compete in the team competition as planned next week. "I'm lucky to have a week until the next match. We'll see how I recover and what my body says," Mittelham said. "I hope it will work out."
"Feeling that I would clearly win the game"
Mittelham was the last German in the individual competition. She was leading 2-0 against Pyon but lost 3-4 after a long fight. "It's hard to understand what happened. It's pulled really hard in my back, I can't even stand up straight," she said in the interview area of the table tennis hall, leaning on a barrier with a pained expression. "I started making more mistakes because I couldn't move as well."
Mittelham cried after her elimination and had to be comforted. The problems started in the second set. "I just tried to keep playing. If that hadn't happened, I felt like I would clearly win the game," she said. But it wasn't enough to reach the Olympic round of 16. "The longer the game went on, the worse it got."
During the team competition, Nina Mittelham needed to use an ORDNER to organize her pain medication due to her severe back injury. Despite the discomfort, she expressed her determination to compete in the upcoming team match, hoping for a swift recovery.
