- Experiencing Dissatisfaction Following Acquisition of Table Tennis Silver Medal
Dissatisfaction Despite Silver for Valentin Baus and Thomas SchmidbergerThey struggled with the silver medal in table tennis doubles at the Paralympics, despite their performance. They missed capturing the gold, losing 0:3 to the Chinese duo of Feng Panfeng and Cao Ningning in Paris. "I'm pissed off we couldn't perform as we're capable of," voiced Baus, confined to a wheelchair due to osteogenesis imperfecta.
The German pair managed to keep pace in the first set, but the Chinese exhibited their superiority afterward. "To bag the gold, everything needs to fall into place," expounded Baus. "After dropping the first two sets, we tried to regroup and give it our all. We fell short. We were too consumed with our own performances," grumbled Schmidberger, paralyzed from the waist down.
Even the enthusiastic support from the German fans in the stands couldn't help Baus/Schmidberger. Following the match, they were greeted with applause. "Competing in front of such an impressive crowd is something unique," declared Baus. "It was damn enjoyable."
The Borussia Düsseldorf duo will celebrate their silver medals but will then turn their attention to the individual competition. Baus, 28, bagged gold in class five at the 2019 Paralympics in Tokyo, while Schmidberger, 33, secured silver in class three. "Now we can focus on the individual competitions. The tournament is still ongoing," explained Schmidberger.
Elation in the Velodrome
At an earlier stage, Maike Hausberger snatched bronze in the women's C1-3 500m time trial cycling event. The 29-year-old from Trier, affected by hemiplegia on the left side of her body, claimed her first Paralympic medal, adding to the German team's third medal in Paris.
"I'm incredibly proud and happy to have finally bagged a medal," said Hausberger. "I visualized the race in my head, gave it my all - and it was enough."
First place went to Australia's Amanda Reid, with China's Wangwei Qian taking silver. Hausberger finished 1.682 seconds behind the winner.
Hausberger had managed to qualify for the final in third place, narrowly missing a medal in the women's C1-3 3000m pursuit event earlier.
Rugby team suffers third consecutive defeatThe German rugby team suffered a third straight loss in Group A against the USA, 47:57. However, with a playoff against the third-placed team in Group B, the side led by Christoph Werner has a chance to reach the semifinals.
Despite their silver medal in table tennis doubles at the Paralympics, Valentin Baus and Thomas Schmidberger expressed their disappointment, aiming to clinch the gold in future Paralympics. Following their performance, Hausberger from Trier added another medal to Germany's tally by securing bronze in the women's C1-3 500m time trial cycling event at the current Paralympics, marking her first Paralympic medal.
