August 07, (THEWILL) – Germany’s men’s table tennis team failed to extend their Olympic medal streak at the 2024 Paris Games. The team, led by Timo Boll, lost 3-2 to Sweden in the quarter-final, ending their run of medals since the event’s introduction in 2008. Sweden’s victory was spearheaded by singles silver medallist, Truls Moregard, who won a crucial singles match against Dimitrij Ovtcharov.
The defeat marked the end of 43-year-old Boll’s illustrious international career. Despite losing the first two games in his singles match against Anton Kallberg, Boll fought back to win the third game 11-7. However, he ultimately lost the match 3-1, with the final game ending 11-8.
In other matches, Japan overcame Taiwan 3-1 to reach the semifinals, where they will face Sweden. The Japanese team started strongly in the doubles but faced tough opposition from Taiwan’s Lin Yun-Ju, who defeated Tomokazu Harimoto in a five-set thriller.
Germany’s women’s team had better fortune, progressing to the quarter-final with a narrow 3-2 victory over the United States. The deciding match saw 18-year-old Annett Kaufmann defeat Rachel Sung 3-1. In the men’s competition, China’s Ma Long, the most successful Olympic table tennis player, made his Paris debut with a doubles victory alongside Wang Chuqin against India.
South Korea’s men’s and women’s teams both recorded 3-0 victories, advancing to the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively. Taiwan’s women’s team eliminated Australia and will face China in the next round. The table tennis competition continues to provide exciting matches as teams vie for Olympic glory in Paris.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
