by Simon Daish
Elizabet Abraamian stars in Russia Top-12 event
Last week we reported Vladimir Sidorenko’s gold medal success at the Russia Top-12 event in St. Petersburg – now we can update you on the women’s singles picture from Moscow.
Another teenager taking the spotlight at the prestigious event, Elizabet Abraamian produced a stellar display to upset the order. The 17-year-old, ranked at no.425 in the world, toppled Yana Noskova, ranked 60th, in a thrilling five-game contest (11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5).
Joining forces – international training camps in full swing
A special training camp was held in the Austrian town of Stockerau over the past week, with the Austrian and Hungarian men’s teams working together to help one another back up to full speed following lockdown. You can read the full story here.
The Hungarian men’s team also partnered up with members of Team Croatia, while the Hungarian women’s squad teamed with the finest Poland and the Czech Republic has to offer:
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#Repost @mbence_28 (@get_repost) ・・・ Great week with Croatian National Team 🏓 🇭🇺&🇭🇷 @gewotabletennis
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A magyar női válogatott a csehek meghívásának eleget téve ezt a hetet Havirovban töltötte
Players from Sweden and Denmark also combined forces in the week as preparations for the eventual return to international action continue to intensify:
Remembering the good times
Sometimes it’s important to slow down a little and think of good memories from years past and there were a number of players in a reflective mood during the week.
Paul Drinkhall posted a throwback to the moment he and wife Joanna struck mixed doubles gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow:
Casting his mind four years further back from that, Marcos Madrid shared a snap of his 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games title success:
Lily Zhang still can’t comprehend how Kasumi Ishikawa managed to come out on top in these rallies from their head-to-head at the ZEN-NOH 2019 ITTF Team World Cup:
As for Heming Hu, the Australian is considering changing style after recalling this pen-hold grip flashback:
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This flashback and lockdown makes me consider changing to penhold for the thrill
Bowling, hiking and… handstand walking???
Aside from the return to rigorous training, what else have the stars been preoccupying their time with?
Lim Jonghoon appears to be just as skilful with a bowling ball in his hands as he is his racket:
Ibrahima Diaw enjoyed a spot of group hiking up Pic Saint-Loup mountain in southern France:
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Hiking with my crew!! 😎👍🏾 Altitude:658⛰ #team94 #weekendvibes #hiking #family
While Sarah De Nutte has been embracing her inner-Hugo Calderano, learning to walk with her hands:
Global celebrations
Four birthdays to report this week with Tiago Apolonia, Kazuhiro Yoshimura, Maharu Yoshimura and Miyuu Kihara entering new years of their lives:
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今日で16歳になりました。 祝ってくださった方々ありがとうございました😊 これからも頑張ります！ 美柚誕生日祝いありがと🎉 これからもWみゆうで頑張ろ💪
The ITTF also partook in the Eid Al-Adha celebrations, passing on best wishes to everyone across the globe: