European table tennis elite at the European Championships in Linz, eleven starters from Austria

From the reigning European champions to the Olympic runners-up, the elite of table tennis in Europe will gather in the Tips Arena in Linz, where the European Championships will take place from 15 to 20 October 2024.

Men’s starting field with defending champion Qui and Olympic silver medalist Möregårdh

According to the ÖTTV, both the defending champion from Germany, Dang Qui, and the European vice-champion Darko Jorgić from Slovenia will be competing in Upper Austria. Olympic silver medalist Truls Möregårdh will also be seen in the Tips Arena. His spectacular shot in the Olympic final, in which the ball bounced back into his own half, was a hit on social media.

Olympic bronze medalist Felix Lebrun is also expected in Linz. The Frenchman, who has just turned 18, was number five in the world rankings at the beginning of the year and plays with the “penholder” grip that is more common in Asia. He will certainly have a say in the awarding of the singles and doubles titles.

Sofia Polcanova wants to defend title

Sofia Polcanova has two titles to defend. In 2022, she won both the singles and the doubles with Bernadette Szöcs from Romania. The doubles partner is also expected to be the toughest competitor for the singles title for the Linz-based Austrian. At this year’s Olympic tournament, however, Polcanova was able to impressively defeat the Romanian 4-0 and take fifth place overall.

Eleven Austrian athletes at the start

Five local players will be taking part in the women’s European Table Tennis Championships. The men’s team will have six players. The exact team will be nominated at the end of September. ÖTTV sports director Stefan Fegerl has high hopes for the Austrian team:

“Europe played a big role at the Olympic Games in Paris, the advertising was great for our sport, and we want to build on that in Linz.” The championships will have an excellent line-up and promise a lot of attractiveness. We have set the bar very high for ourselves in sporting terms with the four European Championship medals in 2022, but we have high hopes for our team, led by Sofia Polcanova.” (Source ÖTTV)