Dimitrij Ovtcharov
Encyclopedia
Dimitrij Ovtcharov is a Ukrainian
-born German
table tennis
player.
As of February 2011, he is ranked #15 in the world by the International Table Tennis Federation
(ITTF).
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
as one of the top 50 innovations of 2008.
On September 22, 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 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 abolish the suspension on October 15, 2010. The decision was endorsed by ITTF.
Men's Doubles
Mixed Doubles
Team
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
-born German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
table tennis
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.
As of February 2011, he is ranked #15 in the world by the International Table Tennis Federation
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...
(ITTF).
At 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...
, Ovtcharov won the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
as part of the German men's team, together with Timo Boll
Timo Boll
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...
and 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....
.
He used a special technique in his serves, which was later picked by TIME
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
as one of the top 50 innovations of 2008.
On September 22, 2010 Ovtcharov had been suspended by the German Table Tennis Federation (DTTB) due to a positive A-sample test for Clenbuterol
Clenbuterol
Clenbuterol is a sympathomimetic amine used by sufferers of breathing disorders as a decongestant and bronchodilator. People with chronic breathing disorders such as asthma use this as a bronchodilator to make breathing easier...
that may be used as 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 abolish the suspension on October 15, 2010. The decision was endorsed by ITTF.
Career records
Singles (as of June 14, 2011)- OlympicsTable tennis at the Summer OlympicsTable tennis competition has been in the Summer Olympic Games since 1988, with singles and doubles events for both men and women. Athletes from China have dominated the sport, winning a total of 41 medals in 24 events, including 20 gold medals.-Events:...
: round of 16 (2008). - World ChampionshipsWorld Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
: round of 16 (2009, 11). - World CupTable Tennis World CupThe 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...
appearances: 3. Record: 5–8th (2008, 09, 10). - 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...
winner (3): 2010 India Open. 2011 Brazil Open. 2011 Korea Open
Runner-up (2): 2009 Danish Open. 2010 Polish Open. - Pro Tour 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...
appearances: 4. Record: round of 16 (2007, 08, 09, 10). - European ChampionshipsTable Tennis European ChampionshipsThe European Table Tennis Championships were first held in 1958. Between 1958 and 2002, the European Championships were held every two years in the even years. From 2003 they were held in odd years. Since 2008 the tournament has been held annually...
: SF (2007). - 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...
: 5th (2008, 09, 10, 11).
Men's 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: 2nd (2008).
- World Championships: 2nd (2010).
- World Team CupTable Tennis World CupThe 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...
: 3rd (2009). - European Championships: 1st (2007, 08, 09, 10).