The Greek table tennis with the remarkable activity in the field of veterans is happy in recent years, not only to see several of its athletes in major international events, but also to have successes.
At the World Veterans Championship 2023, which on Friday 20/01 reached its penultimate day in Muscat, Oman, it was known since yesterday that the inexhaustible Stavros Plakantonakis had secured a medal in the mixed doubles of the 80-84 age category. Today’s news is that the 83-year-old former champion will leave the Sultanate of Oman with two medals.
In the mixed doubles with Atsuko Shirei from Japan, they were defeated in the semi-finals and took 3rd place. In the men’s doubles of the same category with teammate German Wolfgang Wenk, they qualified for the semi-finals. On Saturday 21/01, in the finale of the event, they claim entry to the final, but they are assured of at least one more bronze medal, as long as there are no matches for the 3rd-4th places. In their great experience in the World Championship, the 5 Greek athletes had other remarkable results.
In the 60-64 age category, Petros Apostolou was placed in the 33-64 singles category, in the 65-69 category Giorgos Karabeazis and his Indian teammate Binivale Sanjai were in the 17-32 doubles positions, while on the “consolation” boards of singles, Plakantonakis went to the semi-finals, Nikos Douis in the 65-69 category and Thanasis Heimonas (50-54) to the quarter-finals.
THE LAST MATCHES OF THE GREEKS IN THE SINGLE CATEGORIES
In the men’s singles category of 60-64 years old, Apostolou had qualified for the main board by winning the 2nd privileged position in the 30th group. In the round of “64” he was eliminated on Thursday 19/01 by the English Dacon Gray with 3-0 sets (2-11, 1-11, 5-11).
In the 50-54 category, Heimonas had initially taken 3rd place in the 3rd group. In the “32” of the “consolation” yesterday 19/01 he defeated Mandoz Murungodil from India with 3-0 sets (11-3, 11-8, 11-4). In the round of 16, he overcame the Belgian Marc Dussard with 3-2 sets (11-2, 7-11, 11-6, 12-14, 11-3) and was eliminated in the quarterfinals of this table by Balaji Ramamurt from the United Arab Emirates with 3-0 sets (4-11, 4-11, 5-11).
In the 65-69 category, Douis was eliminated as 3rd in the 35th group. He continued yesterday on the “consolation” scoreboard and a rare fact is that he had consecutive matches with Indians and beat them all with 3-2! In “64” he defeated Kitis Purohit with 3-2 sets (11-4, 11-6, 9-11, 8-11, 11-8). Then he won again in the 5 sets of the also Indian Rajen Kothari (11-3, 6-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8) and in the “16” he narrowly defeated Srisail Sesandri (0-11, 11- 7, 11-8, 7-11, 11-1). In the end, he was defeated in the “8” of this board by the Swedish Lei Kruka with 3-0 sets (8-11, 9-11, 6-11).
In the same category, Karabeazis was left out of the 1st round with the 4th place in the 34th group. On the consolation scoreboard, he lost at “64” to the Indian Jitendra Mavani with 3-0 sets (10-12, 4-11, 1-11).
In the 80-84 category, Plakantonakis, who was eliminated with 3rd place in the 5th group, continued from the 16th place of the “consolation” board. Yesterday he defeated the Finnish Kaarel-Matti Hala with 3-1 sets (12-10, 11-5, 9-11, 11-5) and later entered the 4th by winning with 3-0 sets of his German doubles teammate Wolfgang Wenk ( 11-8, 11-4, 12-10). Also on Thursday, he gave his consolation semi-final and was defeated by the Czech Antonin Vlk with 3-0 sets (5-11, 13-15, 7-11).
THE RESULTS NEXT
Tireless, Plakantonakis participates in the other two individual events of the 80-84 category and also reaches the winners’ podium. In the men’s doubles, the former international and current president of Aris Voulas and the Panhellenic Club of Friends of Table Tennis (P.O.F.E.P.A.) managed another qualification to the quarterfinals. After the first place in the groups, they managed with the German Wolfgang Wenk to easily defeat today the German duo of Eckard Karzenburg/Gerhard Mattis with 3-0 sets (11-1, 11-2, 11-6) and enter the medals. On Saturday they will be chasing an even bigger distinction and in the 4th they face Roy Norton/Denis Bromage from England and Wales respectively.
In the 65-69 age category Karabeazis and Binivale Sanjay from India had qualified for the main draw with 2nd place in their group. For the “32” they were eliminated on Friday 20/01 by Leonid Polisuk/Jiri Voitek from the United States and the Czech Republic respectively with 3-1 sets (11-7, 9-11, 5-11, 6-11).
In the 65-69 age category, Douis and his Bulgarian teammate Dimitar Karaivanov defeated today 01/20 in the 1st round of the “consolation” Amarjit Mack/Mohamed El Maslout from India and Egypt respectively with 3-0 sets (13-11 , 11-6, 11-7). They later lost in the round of 16 to Indians Prakas Kelka/Percy Mehta in 3-0 sets (7-11, 6-11, 9-11).
In the 50-54 category, Heimonas and the Belgian Mark Dussard were eliminated in the “16” of the consolation table. They lost 3-1 sets to India’s Summer Joshi/Ravindra Bate (4-11, 8-11, 11-8, 6-11).
In the 60-64 category, Apostolou teamed up with the Polish Jerzy Tokarski. After the groups they found themselves in the “consolation” knockouts and were defeated in the round of 32 by the Indians Kumar Abastha/Sevakram Lakivani with 3-0 sets (9-11, 7-11, 7-11).
In the mixed doubles, Plakantonakis and the Japanese Atsuko Shirei were on the scoreboard as 2nd from the 1st group. In the cross semi-finals they were defeated by the English pair Roy Norton/Carol Jutson with 3-0 sets (11-13, 9-11, 7-11).
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