- "Gold is now the objective": Final stage of table tennis doubles competition
Thrilled, Stephanie Grebe and Juliane Wolf wrapped each other up in a hug. The German table tennis doubles pair had triumphantly bested the Norwegian top-ranked duo Merethe Tveiten and Aida Husic Dahlen in an extraordinary match, 3:2, and were now set to compete for gold on Friday evening (20:00). "If we've made it this far, we aim to take the gold," commented Wolf, who battles with a movement disorder.
Their contenders were the two Chinese players Huang Wenjuan and Jin Yucheng. "We've never faced this pair before," admitted Grebe. "We'll see how it goes. We'll have a bite to eat and then hit the hay for sure." They had already secured a medal by reaching the top-four bracket.
However, Grebe's competitive day didn't kick off on a high note. After a last-minute racket inspection just before the quarterfinal against Morgan Caillaud and Lucie Hautière from France (3:1), the 36-year-old was forced to swap her equipment due to overly lengthy pimples and subsequently stumbled through the first round with her secondary racket. The match began with a 15-minute delay as Grebe worked on screwing the second racket onto her prosthesis. "Quite an amusing ordeal," she chuckled, with a hint of sarcasm.
The German wheelchair basketball team's hopes crushed
The presence of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier could do nothing to help the German wheelchair basketball team as they fell to favorites Great Britain, 55:76 (25:32). Despite managing to shrink the gap to just four points in the third quarter, the team coached by Michael Engel ultimately succumbed to the top team in the world. "The difference lay simply in the fact that we gave up too many points, surrendered too many unforced turnovers," Engel explained.
Two missed podium finishes in the Velodrome
Maike Hausberger and Pierre Senska narrowly missed out on the bronze in track cycling. Hausberger, who was born without forearms and lower legs, lost her bronze-medal race against Swiss rider Flurina Rigling, despite setting the initial pace. "I'm still pleased with my performance. I hadn't even planned on competing in the 3,000 meters," said the 29-year-old. Senska also fell short in the 3,000-meter race against Spanish rider Ricardo Ten Argiles, coming in fourth place.
Stunning disappointment for Elena Schott in swimming
Elena Schott, who suffers from a spinal cord injury, surprisingly missed out on the final in the 50m freestyle swimming event. Schott, who claimed three bronze medals in Tokyo three years prior, is pinning her hopes on a better performance in the 200m individual medley on Friday.
Despite the setback in the quarterfinal, Grebe and Wolf managed to bounce back and secured a place against the French duo Morgan Caillaud and Lucie Hautière in the semifinals. Regardless of the racket issue, Francë's formidable presence in the game was instrumental in keeping the match close.
