The German table tennis duo missed out on gold in the final and are annoyed about their performance. After fourth place in the opening pursuit, track cycling ace Maike Hausberger has improved.
Despite the silver medal, Valentin Baus and Thomas Schmidberger were very disappointed. They missed out on Paralympic gold in the table tennis doubles, losing 0:3 to the Chinese Feng Panfeng and Cao Ningning in Paris. “It annoys me that we were not able to do what we are capable of,” said Baus, who is in a wheelchair with brittle bone disease.
The German duo could only keep up in the first set. After that, the Chinese showed their strength. “To win gold, everything has to be right,” explained Baus. “After the 0:2, we wanted to adjust and step on the gas. We didn’t manage that. We were preoccupied with ourselves the whole time,” said the paraplegic Schmidberger angrily.
Even the numerous support of the German fans in the stands did not help Baus/Schmidberger. After the game they were given a standing ovation. “Playing in front of such an impressive crowd is something very special,” said Baus. “It was a lot of fun.”
The two Borussia Düsseldorf players will therefore celebrate their silver medals. After that, the duo will concentrate on the individual competition. Three years ago, 28-year-old Baus won gold in class five at the Paralympics in Tokyo, while Schmidberger won silver in class three. “Now we can focus on the individual competitions. The tournament is only half over,” explained 33-year-old Schmidberger.
Great joy in the Vélodrome
Shortly before, Maike Hausberger won bronze in the 500-meter track cycling time trial. In the Vélodrome, the Trier native, who was born with paralysis on the left side of her body, won her first medal in her third Paralympics and the third for the German delegation at the Paris Games.
“I am very, very proud and happy that I have now won a medal,” said Hausberger. “I went through the race again and again, gave it my all – and it was enough.”
Gold went to Australian Amanda Reid. Second place went to Wangwei Qian from China. Hausberger was 1.682 seconds behind the winner.
The 29-year-old, who competed in athletics in 2012 and 2016, confidently made it into the final in third place. At the start, Hausberger narrowly missed out on a medal in the 3000-meter pursuit, finishing fourth.
Rugby team still winless
The German rugby team also lost the third preliminary round match in Group A against the USA with 47:57. With a win in the playoff match, coach Christoph Werner’s team can still reach the semi-finals against the third-placed team in Group B.
Source: Stern
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