The German table tennis duo missed out on gold in the final and were annoyed about their performance. The same goes for long jumper Leon Schäfer. But there was great joy in the Vélodrome.
Despite the silver medal, the disappointment was great for the table tennis duo Valentin Baus and Thomas Schmidberger, and long jumper Leon Schäfer also emerged from the sand pit in the Stade de France dejected – and without a medal. He had come to the Paralympics in the French capital with high hopes, but only came fourth. Schäfer, who had to have his right lower leg and knee amputated after being diagnosed with bone cancer, was eight centimeters short of third place and 32 centimeters short of his personal best.
“Couldn’t retrieve that”
The table tennis duo Baus/Schmidberger were delighted to win silver on the table. However, they missed out on gold and had no chance in their 0:3 defeat against 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 due to 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 support of the numerous German fans in the stands didn’t 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. Gold went to Australian Amanda Reid. Second place went to Wangwei Qian from China.
“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.”
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.
Surprise while swimming
Mira Jeanne Maack won bronze in the 100-meter backstroke in 1:18.36 minutes. “I can’t believe it,” said the 20-year-old from Berlin. “I’ve achieved my goal, something I’ve worked for for three years.”
The Paralympics are over for the boccia team, however. Boris Nicolai and Anita Raguwaran both missed the quarter-finals after the group phase with one win and two losses. “We will now work on this and see what could have gone better,” said coach Tobias Weber.
Source: Stern
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