Dimitrij Ovtcharov

Dimitrij Ovtcharov (Russian: Дмитрий Овчаров) or Dmytro Ovtcharov (Ukrainian: Дмитро Овчаров; born 2 September 1988) is a Ukrainian-born German table tennis player.[6] His father Mikhail (or Mikhaylo), a Soviet table tennis champion in 1982, moved his family to Germany shortly after Dimitrij was born.

Dimitrij Ovtcharov
Дмитро Овчаров
Ovtcharov in 2017
Personal information
NationalityGerman
ResidenceDüsseldorf, Germany
Hamelin, Germany
Born (1988-09-02) 2 September 1988
Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union[1]
Height186 cm (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Weight78 kg (172 lb)[2]
Table tennis career
Playing styleRight-handed, shakehand grip
Equipment(s)Blade: Butterfly Ovtcharov Innerforce ALC
Rubber:
(forehand) Dignics 09C
(backhand) Dignics 05
Highest ranking1 (January 2018)[3]
Current ranking10 (22 August 2023)[4]
ClubTTC Neu-Ulm[5]
Medal record
Men's table tennis
Representing  Germany
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 0 2 4
World Championships 0 4 1
World Cup 1 0 4
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing Team
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Team
Bronze medal – third place 2012 London Singles
Bronze medal – third place 2012 London Team
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Tokyo Singles
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2010 Moscow Team
Silver medal – second place 2012 Dortmund Team
Silver medal – second place 2014 Tokyo Team
Silver medal – second place2018 HalmstadTeam
Bronze medal – third place2023 Durban Doubles
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2017 Liège Singles
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Linz Team
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Magdeburg Team
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Verviers Singles
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Halmstad Singles
European Games
Gold medal – first place2015 BakuSingles
Gold medal – first place2019 MinskTeam
Gold medal – first place2023 Kraków–MałopolskaTeam
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2007 Belgrade Team
Gold medal – first place 2008 Saint-Petersburg Team
Gold medal – first place 2009 Stuttgart Team
Gold medal – first place 2010 Ostrava Team
Gold medal – first place 2011 Sopot Team
Gold medal – first place 2013 Schwechat Singles
Gold medal – first place 2013 Schwechat Team
Gold medal – first place 2015 Ekaterinburg Singles
Gold medal – first place 2017 Luxembourg City Team
Gold medal – first place 2019 Nantes Team
Silver medal – second place 2014 Lisbon Team
Silver medal – second place 2015 Ekaterinburg Team
Silver medal – second place 2020 Warsaw Singles
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Belgrade Singles
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Herning Doubles
Europe Top-12/Top-16
Gold medal – first place2012 LyonSingles
Gold medal – first place2015 BakuSingles
Gold medal – first place2016 GondomarSingles
Gold medal – first place2017 AntibesSingles
Gold medal – first place2019 MontreuxSingles
Silver medal – second place2018 MontreuxSingles
Bronze medal – third place2014 LausanneSingles
Bronze medal – third place2023 MontreuxSingles

Since 2008, Ovtcharov has won a total of two silver and four bronze medals at the Olympics, making him the most decorated male Olympian in the table tennis category in terms of the number of medals awarded. Ranked first January to February 2018, he is ranked ninth in the world by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) as of November 2022.[7]

Career

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Ovtcharov won the silver medal as part of the German men's team, together with Timo Boll and Christian Süß.[1][8]

He used a special technique in his serves, which was later picked by Time magazine as one of the top 50 innovations of 2008.[9]

On 22 September 2010, Ovtcharov had been suspended by the German Table Tennis Federation (DTTB) due to a positive A-sample test for Clenbuterol that may be used as a performance-enhancing substance.[10] Ovtcharov himself denied the doping accusation and requested a B-sample analysis which still tested positive.[11][12] After hearings and further investigations, the hair sample voluntarily offered by Ovtcharov showed no evidence of clenbuterol and its abuse. DTTB later unanimously decided to cancel the suspension on 15 October 2010.[13] The decision was endorsed by ITTF.[14]

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Ovtcharov won bronze medals in singles and team events. In June 2015, he won a gold medal at the inaugural European Games. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, he was defeated by Vladimir Samsonov in the singles quarter-final. He then won a team bronze medal.[2] In June 2017, he won the title at the China Open against Timo Boll (4 sets to 3), and in August 2017 he won the title at the Bulgaria Open. In January 2018, Ovtcharov became the World's Number 1 Table Tennis Player.

2021

In March, Ovtcharov played in WTT Doha. He won the WTT Contender event and reached the semi-finals of the WTT Star Contender event. Notably, Ovtcharov made several key tactical adjustments to upset Lin Yun-Ju in the finals after losing to Lin in their previous four encounters.[15]

As a result of his performance in Doha, Ovtcharov rejoined the top ten in the world rankings.[16]

In June, Ovtcharov played in the European Table Tennis Championships, reaching the finals before losing to his German national teammate Timo Boll.[17]

In July, two weeks before the Tokyo Olympics Ovtcharov withdrew from an internal German Olympic Scrimmage due to a leg injury.[18]

Ovtcharov won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in the men's singles event.[19] Ovtcharov reached the finals of the men's team event, earning his record sixth Olympic medal.[20]

Equipment

Ovtcharov is a right-handed player and uses the shakehand grip. He is a Butterfly-sponsored athlete. He uses the Butterfly Ovtcharov Innerforce ALC blade with Butterfly Dignics 09C on his forehand and Butterfly Dignics 05 on his backhand.[21]

Personal life

Ovtcharov married Swedish table tennis player Jenny Mellström in 2013. Their daughter, Emma, was born in 2016.[22]

Career records

Singles (as of 6 July 2013)[23]

Doubles

  • World Championships: round of 16 (2009).
  • Pro Tour winner (1): 2007 Chinese Taipei Open.
  • Pro Tour Grand Finals appearances: 1. Record: QF (2007).

Mixed doubles

  • World Championships: round of 64 (2007).

Team

  • Olympics: Silver (2008), Bronze (2012), Bronze (2016), Silver (2020).
  • European Games: 4th (2015).
  • World Championships: 2nd (2010, 2012, 2014, 2018).
  • World Team Cup: 3rd (2009, 2011).
  • European Championships: 1st (2007–2011, 2013, 2017, 2019) 2nd (2014, 2015).

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Dimitrij Ovtcharov". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 4 February 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
  2. "Dimitrij Ovtcharov". rio2016.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016.
  3. "Ranking progression". ittf.com. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  4. "ITTF Table Tennis World Ranking". ittf.com. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  5. "Team". ttcnu.de (in German). Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  6. "Ovtcharov Dimitrij". Players' Biographies. International Table Tennis Federation. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
  7. "ITTF Table Tennis World Ranking". International Table Tennis Federation. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  8. Guériau, Hubert; Marius Widmer (18 August 2008). "Chinese Players Merciless with German Challengers". ITTF News. International Table Tennis Federation. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
  9. "The new ping-pong serve". Time. 29 October 2008. Archived from the original on 2 November 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2009.
  10. "Dimitrij Ovtcharov suspended because of positive doping test". European Table Tennis Union (ETTU). 22 September 2010. Archived from the original on 24 September 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  11. Miletic, Alex (23 September 2010). "Dima interviewed by ZDF: "The worst day in whole my life"". ETTU. Archived from the original on 7 October 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  12. Hinz, Simone (30 September 2010). "Positive B sample doping test for Dimitrij Ovtcharov". ETTU. Archived from the original on 7 October 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  13. "Ovtcharov's suspension is over: 'Huge stone fell from my heart'". ETTU. 15 October 2010. Archived from the original on 20 October 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  14. Marshall, Ian (15 October 2010). "Good News for Ovtcharov". ITTF. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  15. "How Dimitrij Ovtcharov Solved The Lin Yun-Ju Problem At WTT Doha". edgesandnets.com. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  16. "Feng Tianwei Was The Biggest Winner At WTT Doha - Edges and Nets". edgesandnets.com. 17 March 2021. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  17. "Timo Boll Defeats Dimitrij Ovtcharov To Win Eighth European Championship". edgesandnets.com. 27 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  18. "Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov Withdraw From Internal Olympic Scrimmage Due To Injuries". edgesandnets.com. 12 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  19. "Ma Long Defeats Fan Zhendong to Win Olympic Gold". edgesandnets.com. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  20. "Germany and Japan To Face China In Olympic Table Tennis Team Finals". edgesandnets.com. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  21. "Dignics 09C interview with top player Dimitrij Ovtcharov". 30 March 2020.
  22. (28 August 2016) "Dimitrij Ovtcharov becomes a father", ITTF, Retrieved 14 October 2016
  23. "ITTF Statistics". International Table Tennis Federation. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
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