The sweetest finale was the Greek colors at the 2023 World Veterans Table Tennis Championship, held in Muscat from 16 to 21/01. Stavros Plakantonakis, the oldest of our 5 athletes, who lived the wonderful experience, took the silver medal in the men’s doubles in the 80-84 age category with German Wolfgang Wenk.
Early in the morning Greek time they scored their 5th consecutive victory in the competition in the semi-finals and a few hours later they were beaten hard in the final by a German duo.
In the same event, the admirable former champion of Greece had won 3rd place in the European Veterans Championship in Rimini, Italy last July, while in the Sultanate of Oman he also managed to get the bronze medal in the mixed doubles of the same category with Atsuko Shirei from Japan . It is a great double success at this level, which apart from the special feelings for our tireless athlete himself, gives great joy to the wide Greek community of veterans, the E.F.O.E.P.A. and all the people of the sport. We remind you that in the World Championship, Thanasis Heimonas also competed in the 50-54 age category, Petros Apostolou (60-64), Nikos Douis (65-69) and Giorgos Karabeazis (65-69).
Stavros Plakantonakis and the German Wolfgang Wenk had secured the place on the podium since Friday 20/01 when they entered the 4th place. Today they chased a bigger distinction, achieved it and were even capable of the first place. In the morning in the semi-finals they had a very tough match against Roy Norton/Denis Bromage from England and Wales respectively. They prevailed with 3-2 sets and this was their 3rd victory in the World Championship with this score. The development 11-4, 8-11, 11-5, 6-11 and 11-9.
In the final they found in front of them another pair from Germany, as had happened in the 8th round, but also in the groups. They faced Siegfried Lemke/Wolfgang Schmidt, who were the 1st favorites in the division and had also gone unbeaten. The Greek-German duo gave their last strength, reacted very well to the lost 1st set and equalized, until they fought back with a 3-1 set (5-11, 11-6, 6-11, 7-11).
The presentation of the awards, a short time later, was the culmination of the wonderful moments experienced by the 83-year-old veteran athlete and at the same time an important factor in the sport. In the mixed doubles, he took the medal yesterday and the moment was also special, as Greece had a place on the podium in the first time that this event was played in a World Veterans Championship. In addition, the two medals send the message that as long as there is courage, this wonderful activity of table tennis need never stop.
Finally, it should be noted that in the final of a top veterans event, Greece also took part in the 2019 European Championship when Yiannis Vlotinos came 2nd in the 40-49 year old category.
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