International

At the age of 43, German table tennis idol Timo Boll is about to take part in his seventh Olympic Games. The German Table Tennis Association (DTTB) has nominated the record European Championship winner as the third player for the team tournament in Paris. European champion Dang Qiu and two-time Olympic bronze medallist Dimitrij Ovtcharov are also intended for the DTTB trio and are also to receive the two German places in the individual competition. The nomination by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) is planned for the beginning of May.

News of his next - and once again presumably last - chance to reach the summit reached Timo Boll during his family vacation in the Austrian mountains. "Paris is once again a really big goal for me," enthused the now 43-year-old from Düsseldorf after his historic Olympic nomination: "Being there would make me proud and happy - because I know that decisions are made based on performance and not merit."

Since Tuesday, Boll's dream is now officially alive, the German Table Tennis Association (DTTB) proposed the record European Championship winner as the third player for the team tournament. In France, alongside European champion Dang Qiu and two-time Olympic bronze medallist Dimitrij Ovtcharov, he will help the DTTB trio win their fifth Olympic medal in a row in the team competition.

The final nomination will not be made until the beginning of May by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB). Boll's inclusion in "Team D" for Paris would make German sporting history: Before the flag-bearer of the 2016 Olympic team in Rio de Janeiro and four-time medal winner, only the Olympic champions Ralf Schumann (shooting/1988-2012) and Ludger Beerbaum (show jumping/1988-2008 and 2016) had previously competed for Germany seven times at the Summer Games.

Boll, who was a member of the German Olympic team for the first time in Sydney in 2000, was "not given" access to this elite circle, as the left-hander expressly wished. After his long forced break last year due to a shoulder injury, the two-time World Championship bronze medallist smashed his way back into the top 30. In the team's internal competition with Qiu, Ovtcharov and Patrick Franziska, Boll came up trumps with several victories over top 20 stars. At the beginning of the year, the oldie also won an international tournament in the WTT series for the first time in three years.

National coach Jörg Roßkopf justified his decision "for Timo and not against Patrick" in the SID interview with "experience, consistency and results in recent months. You could always see that everyone still has great respect for Timo, which is also important for the Olympics." When he made "my most difficult nomination as a coach", he was convinced "that Timo has the better form and that we are sending the best possible team to Paris", the former world champion continued.

Boll, who can only watch his colleagues Qiu and Ovtcharov in the singles tournament, wants to justify his confidence. "The effort," Boll told the SID shortly before Rosskopf's decision, "is now very high, but I can feel that I've reached a different level again. It's a good feeling to be able to keep up with the youngsters." It is "always interesting to play against opponents who could be my children".

Source: SID
Featured image above: Timo Boll (Photo: BeLa Sportfoto)