Felix Lebrun was born to do the impossible.
Dimitrij Ovtcharov has no chance of winning his third Olympic singles medal. The table tennis professional loses to France's prodigy Lebrun after a tough battle. The match is a massive spectacle with wild twists on both sides.
Once again, Dimitrij Ovtcharov is the protagonist in a grand Olympic table tennis spectacle, and once again, he is the loser. Three years after his incredible semi-final defeat against Chinese legend Ma Long - one of the best duels this sport has ever seen - the German star loses in Paris to French prodigy Felix Lebrun in seven dramatic sets. Ovtcharov is down 0:3 in sets, comes back to level, but loses to the 17-year-old playing with abandon.
When it was all over, after over an hour, with Ovtcharov defeated, he sat next to national coach Jörg Rosskopf and didn't seem as disappointed as he could have been given the crazy course of the match. After all, the 35-year-old had lost to the kid who seems born to dominate table tennis for years, the one who seems destined to break the absurd dominance of the Chinese. Since 2008, at the home Olympics in Beijing, they have won every Olympic men's singles gold medal and 32 out of 37 gold medals in total. Lebrun is already the best player in the world rankings who is not from China.
"Some tension fell away after the first three sets," Ovtcharov said later. "I was so focused, it was loud, but it was good, it didn't distract me," he said of the deafening atmosphere. "Now I'm very, very sad. I wanted to win another medal, it didn't work out, now I'm very disappointed." National coach Jörg Rosskopf praised the opponent. "That was a world-class game at a very high level. Felix held up under pressure." But his protégé also had "his chances." And there were quite a few. "In the seventh set, he had a bad start, then Felix's lead was too big."
Huge Hype Around the Prodigy
In France, Lebrun, who also has a highly talented brother, has sparked a massive table tennis boom. There have been up to 10,000 new registrations in clubs in France. Some people seem to be unsure when and where they should train. The hall capacities are reached. The hype around this exceptional talent, who started playing table tennis at the age of three, is enormous. He is already being compared to football superstar Kylian Mbappé. That seems a bit much. But as proof of the blonde boy's appeal, legend Zinedine Zidane was in attendance. A knighting for the table tennis genius. Lebrun comes from a table tennis dynasty. His father and uncle already played, his uncle was even 14th in the world rankings. A teammate of his father was the one from whom Lebrun learned the penholder grip. In Europe, this grip is rather untypical.
Lebrun starts the match with a crazy performance. It unfolds as Ovtcharov had feared. "He's very strong at the beginning of the game because he plays so variably. Opponents have a hard time getting into the game. It will be crucial to start well. If I can manage that, I'll be in good shape." The audience would be solidly behind him. "The hall will shake like never before," Ovtcharov had predicted beforehand: "I have a lot of experience, I think I'll be able to handle it." But it didn't quite work out at first. Lebrun pounded Ovtcharov with spectacular serves and returns. Lebrun was playing on an incredible level, and with each magical shot, the hall shook a little more. The 17-year-old pushed himself, and these energy waves were riding wild through the arena.
It wasn't that Ovtcharov had nothing to counter with, he tried everything, played impressively, but he kept getting put under pressure. Lebrun barely moves off the table, going aggressively for every ball. This wears down the opponent, especially when the Frenchman hits everything. This was the case in the early rounds. How well Ovtcharov held up was shown in the second round. He deflected five opportunities for Lebrun to win the set, but the table tennis teenager also countered two chances for the German. When Lebrun had won the third set, as Ovtcharov was helplessly walking back to the bench, the audience sang the Marseillaise. What a gigantic party, but the 35-year-old suddenly crashed it.
A Monster Rally Decides the Match
Out of nowhere, Lebrun lost his ease, his sovereignty, his aggression. The German kept gaining ground. He went on the offensive, had an outstanding length in his balls, and played aggressive counters. The Frenchman was struggling, doubting. An outstanding forehand from Ovtcharov slammed cross over the table and around Lebrun's ears. The miracle was possible. Long before, here was a second small Tokyo moment. An unbelievable table tennis game, on a day when the impossible had become possible. Earlier, the Swede Truls Moregardh had knocked out the world number one Wang Chuqin from the tournament with magical table tennis.
Then the seventh set, the momentum is clearly with Ovtcharov. But Lebrun is suddenly back, comes in well, and leads 3:1. It stays close, both players go aggressively for the balls. The decision is made in the eighth rally. A crazy rally ends with the point win for Lebrun. Over the forehand, he lets it crash, Ovtcharov holds with the backhand. The ball flies back and forth. The pace is absurd, full throttle, no more tactics. At 7:4, again the point goes to the Frenchman, it's barely less spectacular, the hall is roaring, Lebrun is shaking and wins. Ovtcharov, on the other hand, misses his goal of another individual medal. In 2012 in London and 2021 in Tokyo, he had each won bronze, with the team he won four more Olympic medals - two silver and two bronze. With the team, he now wants to play for a medal. His perhaps last one?
Despite his best efforts, Dimitrij Ovtcharov falls short of dethroning the young table tennis phenom Felix Lebrun in the Olympic Games, marking yet another close loss in a high-stakes competition. Lebrun, hailed as a potential successor to Chinese dominance in the sport, showcases his exceptional skills and versatility during the match.
