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Dimitrij Ovtcharov
Дмитро Овчаров
Dimitrij Ovtcharov 2017.jpg
Ovtcharov in 2017
Personal information
Nationality German
Residence Düsseldorf, Germany
Hamelin, Germany
Born (1988-09-02) 2 September 1988 (age 36)
Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Playing style Right-handed, shakehand grip
Equipment(s) Blade: Butterfly Ovtcharov Innerforce ALC
Rubber:
(forehand) Dignics 09C
(backhand) Dignics 05
Highest ranking 1 (January 2018)
Current ranking 13 (1 November 2023)
Club TTC Neu-Ulm
Height 186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 78 kg (172 lb)
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 2008 Beijing Team
Silver 2020 Tokyo Team
Bronze 2012 London Singles
Bronze 2012 London Team
Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team
Bronze 2020 Tokyo Singles
World Championships
Silver 2010 Moscow Team
Silver 2012 Dortmund Team
Silver 2014 Tokyo Team
Silver 2018 Halmstad Team
Bronze 2023 Durban Doubles
World Cup
Gold 2017 Liège Singles
Bronze 2009 Linz Team
Bronze 2011 Magdeburg Team
Bronze 2013 Verviers Singles
Bronze 2015 Halmstad Singles
European Games
Gold 2015 Baku Singles
Gold 2019 Minsk Team
Gold 2023 Kraków–Małopolska Team
European Championships
Gold 2007 Belgrade Team
Gold 2008 Saint-Petersburg Team
Gold 2009 Stuttgart Team
Gold 2010 Ostrava Team
Gold 2011 Sopot Team
Gold 2013 Schwechat Singles
Gold 2013 Schwechat Team
Gold 2015 Ekaterinburg Singles
Gold 2017 Luxembourg City Team
Gold 2019 Nantes Team
Silver 2014 Lisbon Team
Silver 2015 Ekaterinburg Team
Silver 2020 Warsaw Singles
Bronze 2007 Belgrade Singles
Bronze 2012 Herning Doubles
Europe Top-12/Top-16
Gold 2012 Lyon Singles
Gold 2015 Baku Singles
Gold 2016 Gondomar Singles
Gold 2017 Antibes Singles
Gold 2019 Montreux Singles
Silver 2018 Montreux Singles
Bronze 2014 Lausanne Singles
Bronze 2023 Montreux Singles

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

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.

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.

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

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. Ovtcharov himself denied the doping accusation and requested a B-sample analysis which still tested positive. 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. The decision was endorsed by ITTF.

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. 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.

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

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

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

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

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.

Personal life

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

Career records

Singles (as of 6 July 2013)

  • Olympics: round of 16 (2008), Quarter-Finals (2016), bronze medal (2012, 2020).
  • World Championships: round of 16 (2009, 2011, 2013, 2017), round of 64 (2015).
  • World Cup appearances: 1st in 2017 5. Record: 5–8th (2008, 09, 10, 11), 3rd (2013, 2015).
  • World Tour winner (9): 2010 India Open. 2011 Brazil Open. 2011 Korea Open. 2012 German Open. 2014 German Open. 2017 India Open. 2017 China Open. 2017 Bulgaria Open. 2017 German Open.
    Runner-up (2): 2009 Danish Open. 2010 Polish Open.
  • World Tour Grand Finals appearances: 9. Record: Runner-up (2014, 2017).
  • European Championships: SF (2007), Runner-up (2020), Winner (2013, 2015).
  • Europe Top-12: Winner (2012).
  • Europe Top-16: Winner (2015, 2016, 2017).

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).

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Dimitrij Ovtcharov para niños

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