Timo Boll
Encyclopedia
Timo Boll is a German professional table tennis
player who currently plays with Borussia Düsseldorf and is the German No.1 of the German Table Tennis National League. He is No.4 in the World Rankings as of October, 2011.
and four years later changed to FTG Frankfurt with which he took part in the second division, at which time other associations became attentive of him. TTV Gönnern hired him in 1995. Timo Boll was put in position five on the team but, nevertheless, lost only one match in the whole season and thus contributed to the rise of the team in the table tennis national league. In 2007, Timo Boll went to the German table tennis champion team Borussia Düsseldorf.
victory against Vladimir Samsonov
. He reached final of the European Table Tennis Championships in Zagreb
in the singles, and in doubles with Zoltan Fejer-Konnerth the gold medal. The German team was defeated in the finale by a score of 2–3, by the Swedish team. With his victory in the Chinese world cup
in Jinan
(he beat the world champion Wang Liqin
and the Olympic champion Kong Linghui
clearly), Timo Boll finished the year at first position in the world rankings in January, 2003. During the European-Championship 2003, Vladimir Samsonov led the Belorussian team to the final victory against the German. He was too strong for Timo Boll. After his elimination in the singles world championship in the second round, he lost the rank of the world's number one table tennis player.
, in which he was outclassed in the quarterfinal by Jan-Ove Waldner
. After a period marked by public criticism, Timo Boll registered tournament victories in Poland, Austria and Germany. He also reached the semifinal of the Pro Tour
in Peking, where he was edged out 3-4 in games by Ma Lin
. Early in the 2005 season, Boll's back problems struck again; nevertheless, he won the silver medal in doubles with Christian Süß
at the World Championship. After correcting a referee's wrong decision in favour of his opponent in the singles round of sixteen (in which he was defeated), he received the Fair Play Award from the ITTF
. The year ended well as he won the Champions League
with TTV RE-BAU Gönnern, and the world cup
tournament in Liège
in Belgium, in which he defeated all three Chinese first-class players. In 2007, he won the European Championship in singles, doubles, and in the team competition.
.
During the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
he participated again with the German national team. After victories over Croatia, Canada, Singapore and Japan in preliminary rounds and the semi-final, the team lost 0–3 against the host Chinese team. As the first-seeded player in 2008, Boll defended his three European Champion titles from the year before.
.
Home Secretary
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
player who currently plays with Borussia Düsseldorf and is the German No.1 of the German Table Tennis National League. He is No.4 in the World Rankings as of October, 2011.
Childhood
Already at the age of four years Timo Boll was playing table tennis and at that time was coached by his father. In 1987 he became a member of the TSV Höchst and played there at association level. At the age of eight years he was discovered by Helmut Hampel, a Hessian trainer who promoted him. In 1990, he started to train at the training centre PfungstadtPfungstadt
Pfungstadt is a German town of 25,117 inhabitants, in the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg in the state of Hesse.The town was first mentioned in 785 as property of the Monastery of Lorsch and got its town rights in 1886 due to its railway station...
and four years later changed to FTG Frankfurt with which he took part in the second division, at which time other associations became attentive of him. TTV Gönnern hired him in 1995. Timo Boll was put in position five on the team but, nevertheless, lost only one match in the whole season and thus contributed to the rise of the team in the table tennis national league. In 2007, Timo Boll went to the German table tennis champion team Borussia Düsseldorf.
National league and international junior results
At age 14, Timo Boll took together with Frank Klitzsch the title of the youngest player of the national league. Timo Boll celebrated his first international results during the student European championships in Den Haag 1995, where he won three gold medals. After a second place finish in his first junior European Championship 1996, he won during the following two years the title in the singles, in the doubles and with the team. He finished school with a secondary school level I certificate.International results
In 2002, Timo Boll joined the ranks of the world top-10 players with his Europe-Top-12-TournamentEurope Top-12
The Europe Top-12 is an European table tennis tournament organized by the European Table Tennis Union on a yearly basis between the twelve strongest players in Europe. The tournament was first held in 1971 for both the men's and women's competition, adopting a single round-robin format...
victory against Vladimir Samsonov
Vladimir Samsonov
Vladimir Samsonov is a Belarusian professional table tennis player, ranked ninth in the world as of October 2011...
. He reached final of the European Table Tennis Championships in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
in the singles, and in doubles with Zoltan Fejer-Konnerth the gold medal. The German team was defeated in the finale by a score of 2–3, by the Swedish team. With his victory in the Chinese world cup
Table Tennis World Cup
The Table Tennis World Cup has been held annually since 1980. There had been only men's singles until the inauguration of women's singles in 1996 and team competitions in 1990. The team competitions, the World Team Cup, were canceled until the relaunch in 2007, and now held in odd-numbered years...
in Jinan
Jinan
Jinan is the capital of Shandong province in Eastern China. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of the region from the earliest beginnings of civilisation and has evolved into a major national administrative, economic, and transportation hub...
(he beat the world champion Wang Liqin
Wang Liqin
Wang Liqin is a Chinese table tennis player. As of October, 2011, he is ranked 8th in the International Table Tennis Federation . He began playing at the age of 6 and was picked for the Chinese men's national squad in 1993 when he was only 15 years old. Wang is the last man since Jiang Jialiang to...
and the Olympic champion Kong Linghui
Kong Linghui
Kong Linghui is a male Chinese table tennis player. He competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics, as well as in the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2004 Summer Olympics.In 1996, Kong won the gold medal in the men's doubles competition together with Liu Guoliang...
clearly), Timo Boll finished the year at first position in the world rankings in January, 2003. During the European-Championship 2003, Vladimir Samsonov led the Belorussian team to the final victory against the German. He was too strong for Timo Boll. After his elimination in the singles world championship in the second round, he lost the rank of the world's number one table tennis player.
Injury and comeback
Back problems hampered Boll during the first half of 2004. These problems handicapped his preparation for the 2004 Summer Olympics2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, in which he was outclassed in the quarterfinal by Jan-Ove Waldner
Jan-Ove Waldner
Jan-Ove Waldner is a Swedish table tennis player. He is known as "the Mozart of table tennis" and is a legend in his native Sweden as well as in China. In China he is known as 老瓦 Lao Wa - "Old Wa" or 常青树 Chang Qing Shu - "Evergreen"...
. After a period marked by public criticism, Timo Boll registered tournament victories in Poland, Austria and Germany. He also reached the semifinal of the Pro Tour
ITTF Pro Tour
The ITTF Pro Tour is a series of table tennis tournaments introduced by International Table Tennis Federation in 1996, in order to improve the quality of the sport. It includes 6 events: Men's and Women's Singles, Men's and Women's Doubles, and Men's and Women's Singles Under 21...
in Peking, where he was edged out 3-4 in games by Ma Lin
Ma Lin (table tennis)
Ma Lin is a male table tennis player. He is the world's number four ranked player as of June, 2011 in the International Table Tennis Federation ....
. Early in the 2005 season, Boll's back problems struck again; nevertheless, he won the silver medal in doubles with Christian Süß
Christian Süß
Christian Süß is a German table tennis player.At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Süß won the silver medal as part of the German men's team, together with Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov....
at the World Championship. After correcting a referee's wrong decision in favour of his opponent in the singles round of sixteen (in which he was defeated), he received the Fair Play Award from the ITTF
International Table Tennis Federation
The International Table Tennis Federation is the governing body for all national table tennis associations.-Founding history:The ITTF was founded in 1926, the nine founding members being Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, Germany, Hungary, India, Sweden and Wales...
. The year ended well as he won the Champions League
European Champions League (table tennis)
European Champions League is the seasonal table tennis competition for the highest ranked European club teams and is regarded as the most important international club competition in Europe. It is organised by the European Table Tennis Union and replaced the European Club Cup of Champions , the...
with TTV RE-BAU Gönnern, and the world cup
Table Tennis World Cup
The Table Tennis World Cup has been held annually since 1980. There had been only men's singles until the inauguration of women's singles in 1996 and team competitions in 1990. The team competitions, the World Team Cup, were canceled until the relaunch in 2007, and now held in odd-numbered years...
tournament in Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
in Belgium, in which he defeated all three Chinese first-class players. In 2007, he won the European Championship in singles, doubles, and in the team competition.
Draft to Borussia Düsseldorf
In December 2006, Timo Boll signed a 3 year contract with Borussia Dusseldorf. Apart from the financial weakness of his old team and various other considerations, Timo Boll moved for the good training possibilities, in view of the upcoming Olympic Games 2008 and because of the possibility to be able to train there with his doubles partner Christian SüßChristian Süß
Christian Süß is a German table tennis player.At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Süß won the silver medal as part of the German men's team, together with Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov....
.
During the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
he participated again with the German national team. After victories over Croatia, Canada, Singapore and Japan in preliminary rounds and the semi-final, the team lost 0–3 against the host Chinese team. As the first-seeded player in 2008, Boll defended his three European Champion titles from the year before.
Technique
Timo Boll is a left-handed player whose best weapon is his forehand topspin drive but is also noted for his extremely quick backhand loop. His blade is the "Timo Boll ALC" with Tenergy 05 rubbers on both sides. His present doubles partner is Christian SüßChristian Süß
Christian Süß is a German table tennis player.At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Süß won the silver medal as part of the German men's team, together with Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov....
.
Awards
- 1997 Table Tennis Junior Player of the Year
- 1998 German Table Tennis player of the Year
- 2005 Bambi Sport
- 2005 German Sportsmen of the YearGerman Sportspersonality of the yearThe German Sportspersonality of the Year is chosen annually since 1947, for both men and women. The recordholder is tennis player Steffi Graf . Swimmer Michael Groß, tennis player Boris Becker, and high jumper Ulrike Meyfarth each have four awards...
3rd position - 2006 Sportsmen of the Year in Hessen
- 2007 Fair-Play-Award of Minister (Secretary) of the Interior
Home Secretary
- 2007 German Sportsmen of the YearGerman Sportspersonality of the yearThe German Sportspersonality of the Year is chosen annually since 1947, for both men and women. The recordholder is tennis player Steffi Graf . Swimmer Michael Groß, tennis player Boris Becker, and high jumper Ulrike Meyfarth each have four awards...
2nd position - 2008 Sportsmen of the Year in Hessen
- 2010 Sportsmen of the Year in Hessen
- 2010 German Sportsmen of the YearGerman Sportspersonality of the yearThe German Sportspersonality of the Year is chosen annually since 1947, for both men and women. The recordholder is tennis player Steffi Graf . Swimmer Michael Groß, tennis player Boris Becker, and high jumper Ulrike Meyfarth each have four awards...
2nd position
Titles
- World Cup 2002 and 2005
- Single European Champion 2002, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011
- Team European Champion 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011
- Europe Top-12Europe Top-12The Europe Top-12 is an European table tennis tournament organized by the European Table Tennis Union on a yearly basis between the twelve strongest players in Europe. The tournament was first held in 1971 for both the men's and women's competition, adopting a single round-robin format...
2002, 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2010 - European Super Cup 2007, 2008 and 2009
- ITTF Pro TourITTF Pro TourThe ITTF Pro Tour is a series of table tennis tournaments introduced by International Table Tennis Federation in 1996, in order to improve the quality of the sport. It includes 6 events: Men's and Women's Singles, Men's and Women's Doubles, and Men's and Women's Singles Under 21...
(18) and Grand FinalsITTF Pro Tour Grand FinalsThe ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals is an annual table tennis tournament sanctioned by International Table Tennis Federation at the end of the year. The tournament includes six events: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, U21 men's and women's singles...
(1): Brasil 2001, Austria 2002, Japan 2003, Poland, Germany and Austria 2004, Japan, Sweden and Grand Finals 2005, China, Germany and Poland 2006, Austria, Germany and Poland 2008, Qatar, Germany, and Poland 2009, Japan 2010. - Double: European Championship 2002 (together with Zoltan Fejer-Konnerth), 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 (together with Christian SüßChristian SüßChristian Süß is a German table tennis player.At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Süß won the silver medal as part of the German men's team, together with Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov....
), Japan Open 2005, Pro TourITTF Pro TourThe ITTF Pro Tour is a series of table tennis tournaments introduced by International Table Tennis Federation in 1996, in order to improve the quality of the sport. It includes 6 events: Men's and Women's Singles, Men's and Women's Doubles, and Men's and Women's Singles Under 21...
Grand Final 2005, 2009 (together with Christian SüßChristian SüßChristian Süß is a German table tennis player.At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Süß won the silver medal as part of the German men's team, together with Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov....
) - Double: 2nd position World Championship 2005, 3rd position European Championship 2005 together with Christian SüßChristian SüßChristian Süß is a German table tennis player.At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Süß won the silver medal as part of the German men's team, together with Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov....
- Team: 2nd position Olympic Games 2008; 2nd position European Championship 2000, 2002, 2003, 2nd position World Championship 2004, 2010; 3rd position World Championship 2006.
- German Championship: 9-times Single-Winner (1998, 2001–2007,2009), 3-times Double-Winner (1999 together with Lars Hielscher, 2005 and 2007 together with Christian SüßChristian SüßChristian Süß is a German table tennis player.At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Süß won the silver medal as part of the German men's team, together with Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov....
- Champions League: Winner 2005 and 2006 with TTV RE-BAU Gönnern
- 3rd position Qatar and Kuwait Open Single 2007
- 3rd position World Championship Single 2003, 2006
- As the first German number one of the world table tennis rankings (January 2003)