Third place at the German Top 48 ranking tournament
Melanie Merk. Youth national player and player of the 1st women’s team of TTC Langweid in the 2nd Bundesliga is firmly established among the top German young talents. She was able to impressively confirm this last weekend in Wiesbaden with third place in the German Top 48 ranking tournament among the 48 competitors who qualified through tournaments in their regional associations. The German runner-up Melanie Merk reached the semi-finals with eight straight 3-0 wins.
There she had to admit defeat to the eventual tournament winner Elisa Nguyen in four sets before she won bronze again in the small final for bronze with a 3-0 win over Lena Gottschlich. Lena Gottschlich, youth national player, plays for MTV Tostedt in the 2nd Bundesliga and got the honorary point for her team in Langweid’s 6-1 win against Tostedt. Melanie Merk can look forward to the German Top 14 ranking tournament with confidence. With the European youth champions Veronika Matiunina and Melanie Merk, the TTC Langweid has young players that could be built upon with support/sponsorship. Competitors certainly see this too.
Young talent is bearing fruit
At the 2nd junior association area ranking tournament in South Bavaria in Esting (Obb), the good youth work of the TTC Langweid was once again impressively confirmed. This applies both quantitatively through the large number of qualified people and qualitatively through successes. It was pleasing and rare that the TTC Langweid found six sports supervisors. For the 14 people who qualified in each of the three age groups of boys and girls, it was about qualifying for the respective Bavarian ranking tournaments. Paul Schäffler dominated the U13 age group as winner (without defeat) and Theresa Hornig impressed with second place in the U13 girls group. Both qualified for the Top 14 in Bavaria. Romy Steffen and Andre Thiebau qualified in the youth U19 category. Both met the expectations of trainer Barbara Jungbauer. Andre Thiebau with 2nd place and only one defeat and Romy Steffen, who will be part of the U19 for another 2 years, with 3rd place. Lisa Voegele, Sophia Hoijat, Lina Marie Mussenbrock and Illa Vakuruk and Selina Schorr, who moved from SC Biberbach to TTC Langweid Although they haven’t been able to compete for the top places at this level of sporting rankings, they are on the right track, say coach Barbara Jungbauer and youth leader Marco Bröll convinced.
Text: Gert Jungbauer, TTC Langweid
In what ways do you believe that your personal strengths influence your playing style, and how can other young players identify and cultivate their own unique strengths?
1. Can you tell us about your experience competing in the German Top 48 ranking tournament? How does it feel to place third among so many talented players?
2. What do you think sets you apart from other players in your age group and what are your strengths as a table tennis player?
3. How important is the support of your team, including your coaches and fellow players, in your success as a young athlete?
4. Tell us about the training regimen you follow to maintain your high level of play. Do you have any specific routines or habits that contribute to your success?
5. What advice would you give to other aspiring young table tennis players looking to improve their skills and potentially compete at a high level?
6. Can you talk about the growth of table tennis in Germany and the challenges faced by up-and-coming players in the sport? What more can be done to support and promote young talent?
7. As someone who has experienced success at both regional and national levels, what do you think it takes for a young player to break into the international scene in table tennis?
8. How do you manage balancing school, training, and competition, and what advice would you give to other young athletes struggling with this juggling act?
9. How does it feel to have young athletes like yourself helping to build a strong team like the TTC Langweid? Do you think this will contribute to the growth of the club and increase its chances of success in the future?
10. What are your goals for the upcoming year, both in terms of personal achievements and for the development of the TTC Langweid?
