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Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
Germany's Timo Boll played his last match in China, a place he calls his second home, at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Chongqing in China's southwest municipality on Saturday.
Boll, 43, lost to French hopeful Felix Lebrun in full five games in the round of 16, as he fought to the very end to concede the decider 10-12. The 17-year-old across the net next faces Boll's young compatriot Qiu Dang in the quarterfinals.
Timo Boll (R) lost to Felix Lebrun in the WTT Champions Chongqing round of 16 in Chongqing Municipality, China, June 1, 2024. /CFP
"I'm very emotional now. You can see the tears in my eyes," Boll said after the match. He also hailed the younger of the Lebrun brothers for his limitless potential to reshape the sport's landscape representing Europe.
Shortly before arriving in Chongqing, the veteran announced on social media that he would retire from international competitions after this summer's Paris Olympics, which meant the Chongqing event would be his last appearance in China. He will continue to play with local club Borussia Dusseldorf till 2025.
Boll is featured in Germany's roster for the Paris Games, and will play the team event in his 7th Olympic campaign. He has collected four team medals across four Games, including silvers in 2008 and 2021, and bronzes from 2012 and 2016, and reached world number one on the ITTF standings three times in his prolific career (2003, 2011, and 2018).