Central German Table Tennis Championships Witness Success for TSV 1876 Nobitz’s Lars Hans
Last weekend, the Central German Championships for table tennis seniors, encompassing the states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia, took place in Schwarzenberg. Competitors aged 40 to 85 battled for regional titles in singles and doubles events. Several athletes from the Altenburger Land participated, including Lars Hans from TSV 1876 Nobitz, Susann Liewald from TTSG Schmölln/Thonhausen, Thomas Koerth from ASV Wintersdorf, and Maryna Piddubna and Heinz Teichmann from SV Lokomotive Altenburg.
Hans Competes in AK50 Division
Lars Hans, representing TSV 1876 Nobitz in the AK50 (age 50) division, achieved a 3-0 victory over René Wichner from TTV Halle in his group of four. Still, he finished third in the group and did not advance to the knockout stage.
Mixed Results for Liewald and Koerth
Susann Liewald (AK55) and Thomas Koerth (AK55) both finished fourth in their respective groups, falling short of qualifying for the later rounds. The pair, along with Hans, were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the doubles competition with 1:3 defeats. Koerth partnered with Hans in the younger age group for the doubles event.
Piddubna Reaches Quarter-Finals
Maryna Piddubna competed in the AK 45 division against 15 other players. After winning her group match against Julia King from SV Glückauf Sondershausen, she advanced to the knockout round as the second seed. She then faced Verena Zimmermann from SV Turbo 90 Dessau, the eventual runner-up, and lost 0-3 in the quarter-finals. Piddubna also competed in doubles with Claudia Meissner from TTV Bleicherode, again meeting Zimmermann and Zoschke in the quarter-finals and losing 1-3. Her two fifth-place finishes represent a strong performance.
Teichmann’s Dramatic AK70 Competition and Doubles Victory
Heinz Teichmann participated in the AK 70 division, which had 12 entrants. He faced a challenging group stage where Lutz Kühne from TTC Börde Magdeburg won all his matches 3-0. Teichmann defeated Karl-Heinz Barthel from TTV 1948 Hohndorf 3-2, putting his progression in his own hands. However, he lost a crucial match against Bernd Vogt from SSV Landsberg 3-2, despite Vogt having previously lost both his matches. This result allowed Barthel to advance to the quarter-finals and ultimately win the championship.
Despite the previous day’s setback, Teichmann and his doubles partner, Thomas Storch from TTV 04 Trusetal-Brotterode, found success. They defeated Kühne/Augustiniok (Magdeburg/Merseburg) and Handrik/Schmidt (Steintwolmsdorf/Breitenbrunn) both with a score of 3-1, reaching the final. There, they faced Barthel/Siegmund (Hohndorf/Dresden) and won 3-1 (4; 8; -7; 7), securing the Central German championship title in doubles.