Olympic Games | 10 Aug 2024

Germany's Women Finish as Best European Team in Fourth Place at the Olympics

By reaching the semifinals, Germany's women created a sensation at the Olympic Games in Paris. However, they fell short of achieving a table tennis miracle in the end. The team coached by Tamara BOROS lost 0-3 to the strong favorites, South Korea, in the match for the bronze medal. Annett KAUFMANN, Yuan WAN, and Xiaona SHAN, however, concluded the Olympic tournament as the best European team, finishing in an outstanding fourth place.

The most important thing first: today's defeat does not diminish the brilliant performances of the trio KAUFMANN, SHAN, and WAN; on the contrary, the final fourth place with the splendid victories over the USA and India is far more than expected, especially considering that world-class defensive player Ying HAN, who suffered her second Achilles tendon rupture within six months just before the Olympic Games, and top player Nina MITTELHAM, who was injured during the singles competition (due to disc issues), were absent.

For women's national coach Tamara BOROS, pride in her protégées' achievements far outweighed the disappointment of the defeat:

"Unfortunately, we didn't win a medal, but this fourth place by my girls makes me really proud. This is a very good result. We need some time now and have to calm down. Then we can continue working towards the next four years."

The trio, with Olympic debutants Annett KAUFMANN (who replaced Ying HAN after her injury in early July) and Yuan WAN (who joined the team during the tournament following Nina MITTELHAM’S injury), alongside 41-year-old three-time Olympian Xiaona SHAN, became a close-knit group in Paris. Tirelessly motivated and driven by head coach Tamara BOROS, a veteran and two substitutes believed in their chances until the end, no matter who the opponent was. At the same time, talent Annett KAUFMANN raised her level of play to world-class, while doubles specialist Yuan WAN, alongside Xiaona SHAN, impressively demonstrated her significant progress in recent months. Xiaona SHAN also delivered her full potential in the doubles.

Despite all the pride in their achievements, tears understandably flowed after the defeat and the dashed dream of a bronze medal, especially for Yuan WAN and Xiaona SHAN, who narrowly lost the crucial opening doubles match.

Annett KAUFMANN comforted her teammates: "We are a team. We win and lose together. And when one of us is down, we try to lift her spirits, encourage her, and sometimes even open her eyes because we often only focus on the negatives. We must also realize that we came here with a substitute team. Yuan and I weren’t originally planned to play. The fact that we still reached fourth place is something we need to acknowledge."

Bronze medal match

Korea – Germany 3-0

Yubin SHIN/Jihee JEON - Yuan WAN/Xiaona SHAN 3-2 (11-6,11-8,8-11,10-12,11-8)

Eunhye LEE - Annett KAUFMANN 3-0 (11-8,11-9,11-2)

Jihee JEON - Xiaona SHAN 3-0 (11-6,11-6,11-6)