Benedikt Duda: The EM surprise winner from Gummersbach!

Benedikt Duda: The EM surprise winner from Gummersbach!

A remarkable turn experienced the European table tennis championship in Linz when the German player Benedikt Duda caused a sensation. The 30-year-old professional from TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt made it to the final, where he finally lost to the talented Frenchman Alexis Lebrun in a clear 4: 0. "Unfortunately that was very quick," said Duda after the defeat, which only denied the last step to the gold medal.

Before that Duda had amazed the table tennis world with his extraordinary game. The day before the final, he eliminated the highly favorite Felix Lebrun, the brother of the final opponent, 4: 3. In the semifinals, he also switched off the former world ranking Dimitrij Ovtcharov 4-2. "Benne played phenomenally", Ovtcharov praised his opponent, whose impressive run surprisingly had his own gold medal, which he has been targeting since 2013.

A departure for German table tennis

Duda itself was proud of his performance after the final. "I would have liked to go one step more. But Alexis was too strong for that," he said, pointing out the opponent's superiority. Despite this defeat, Duda's final is a decisive milestone in his career and sends an important signal to the German Table Tennis Association, especially after the rather disappointing year in the Olympic sport.

The success of Duda is not a random event. He was already part of the German team who won the silver medal at the 2022 World Tennis Championships in China and in 2021 in Romania at the gold medal at the European Championships. He is increasingly establishing itself in the German table tennis landscape, which is characterized by names like Timo Boll and Dang Qiu.

national coach Jörg Roßkopf recognizes many properties in Duda that have recognized him as a former European champion. "He is not a talent of the century, but a hard, hard-working and highly concentrated worker," he describes the athlete from Gummersbach, whose career was in the shade of larger names until recently.

However, the competition does not sleep, and the times of German dominance in table tennis seem to be over. The future of sport in Europe is redefined with the young Frenchman Felix and Alexis Lebrun and Truls Möregardh from Sweden, who have left lasting impression in international competitions. This year was the first time in 13 tournaments that the European European champion did not come from Germany, which illustrates the challenge for the German table tennis elite.

Nevertheless, the German delegation is in good shape overall. Nina Mittelham, who went back into the race after a serious injury to the Olympic Games, secured a bronze medal. Four of the six male German players also reached the quarter-finals, while the 18-year-old Annett Kaufmann also convinced with their bronze medal in mixed and Andre Bertelsmeier, who made it to the round of 16. "It was a good tournament," summed up national coach Tamara Boros.

The powerful period before and during the European Championship not only broke the German table tennis sport through Duda, but also steered the entire team in a new direction. It remains to be seen how the competition scene will develop in the coming years and whether other players from Germany can build on Duda's impressive appearance. The relevance of this event for the German brand in table tennis and the coaching staff is undeniable, and the next challenges are already at the door.

Detailed information on the past events are to be found .