Dimitrij Ovtcharov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dimitrij Ovtcharov Дмитро Овчаров
Ovtcharov in 2017
Personal information
Nationality	German
Residence	Düsseldorf, Germany Hamelin, Germany
Born	(1988-09-02) 2 September 1988 (age 36) Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Playing style	Right-handed, shakehand grip
Equipment(s)	Blade: Butterfly Ovtcharov Innerforce ALC Rubber: (forehand) Dignics 09C (backhand) Dignics 05
Highest ranking	1 (January 2018)
Current ranking	31 (15 July 2025)
Club	TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell
Height	186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	78 kg (172 lb)
Medal record Men's table tennis Representing  Germany Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 2 4 World Championships 0 4 1 World Cup 1 0 4 Olympic Games Silver 2008 Beijing Team Silver 2020 Tokyo Team Bronze 2012 London Singles Bronze 2012 London Team Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team Bronze 2020 Tokyo Singles World Championships Silver 2010 Moscow Team Silver 2012 Dortmund Team Silver 2014 Tokyo Team Silver 2018 Halmstad Team Bronze 2023 Durban Doubles World Cup Gold 2017 Liège Singles Bronze 2009 Linz Team Bronze 2011 Magdeburg Team Bronze 2013 Verviers Singles Bronze 2015 Halmstad Singles European Games Gold 2015 Baku Singles Gold 2019 Minsk Team Gold 2023 Kraków–Małopolska Team European Championships Gold 2007 Belgrade Team Gold 2008 Saint-Petersburg Team Gold 2009 Stuttgart Team Gold 2010 Ostrava Team Gold 2011 Sopot Team Gold 2013 Schwechat Singles Gold 2013 Schwechat Team Gold 2015 Ekaterinburg Singles Gold 2017 Luxembourg City Team Gold 2019 Nantes Team Silver 2014 Lisbon Team Silver 2015 Ekaterinburg Team Silver 2020 Warsaw Singles Bronze 2007 Belgrade Singles Bronze 2012 Herning Doubles Bronze 2024 Linz Singles Europe Top-12/Top-16 Gold 2012 Lyon Singles Gold 2015 Baku Singles Gold 2016 Gondomar Singles Gold 2017 Antibes Singles Gold 2019 Montreux Singles Silver 2018 Montreux Singles Bronze 2014 Lausanne Singles Bronze 2023 Montreux Singles

Dimitrij Ovtcharov (born on September 2, 1988) is a famous German table tennis player. He was born in Ukraine, but his family moved to Germany when he was very young. His father, Mikhail, was also a table tennis champion in the Soviet Union.

Dimitrij Ovtcharov is one of the most successful male table tennis players at the Summer Olympics. He has won a total of six Olympic medals: two silver and four bronze. In January 2018, he was ranked as the number one table tennis player in the world. As of July 2025, he is ranked 31st globally by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

Dimitrij Ovtcharov's Table Tennis Journey

Dimitrij Ovtcharov has had an amazing career filled with many wins and achievements. He started playing table tennis at a young age and quickly became a top player.

Early Olympic Success

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Dimitrij Ovtcharov won a silver medal. He was part of the German men's team, playing alongside Timo Boll and Christian Süß. This was a big start to his Olympic journey.

He even used a special way of serving the ball. This unique technique was so interesting that Time magazine named it one of the top 50 new ideas of 2008!

Olympic Medals and World Rankings

Dimitrij continued his success at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. There, he won two bronze medals, one in the singles event and another with his team.

In June 2015, he won a gold medal at the very first European Games. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he won another team bronze medal.

In 2017, Dimitrij had a fantastic year. He won the China Open and the Bulgaria Open tournaments. His hard work paid off, and in January 2018, he reached the top of the world rankings, becoming the World's Number 1 Table Tennis Player!

Recent Achievements in 2021

In March 2021, Dimitrij Ovtcharov played in the WTT Doha tournaments. He won the WTT Contender event and reached the semi-finals of the WTT Star Contender event. He showed great skill by beating Lin Yun-Ju in the finals, even though Lin had won their previous four matches.

Because of his strong performance in Doha, Dimitrij moved back into the top ten world rankings. In June 2021, he reached the finals of the European Table Tennis Championships, where he played against his German teammate Timo Boll.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo (which were held in 2021), Dimitrij Ovtcharov won a bronze medal in the men's singles event. He also helped his team reach the finals, earning his sixth Olympic medal. This made him one of the most decorated table tennis players in Olympic history!

Dimitrij Ovtcharov's Equipment

Dimitrij Ovtcharov plays table tennis using his right hand. He uses a common way of holding the paddle called the shakehand grip. He is sponsored by Butterfly, a well-known brand for table tennis equipment.

• Blade: Butterfly Ovtcharov Innerforce ALC
• Rubbers:
  • Forehand: Butterfly Dignics 09C
  • Backhand: Butterfly Dignics 05

Dimitrij Ovtcharov's Club Teams

Throughout his career, Dimitrij Ovtcharov has played for several different table tennis clubs:

• TSV Schwalbe Tündern
• Borussia Düsseldorf (2007–2009)
• Royal Villette Charleroi (2009–2010)
• Gazprom Fakel Orenburg (2010–2022)
• TTC Neu-Ulm (2022–2024)
• Olympiakos Piraeus (2023–2024)
• TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell (2024–present)

Dimitrij Ovtcharov's Family Life

Dimitrij Ovtcharov is married to Jenny Mellström, who is also a table tennis player from Sweden. They got married in 2013. In 2016, they welcomed their daughter, Emma, into their family.

Dimitrij Ovtcharov's Major Achievements

Dimitrij Ovtcharov has won many medals and titles in his career. Here are some of his most important achievements:

Olympic Games Medals

• Silver: 2008 Beijing (Team), 2020 Tokyo (Team)
• Bronze: 2012 London (Singles), 2012 London (Team), 2016 Rio de Janeiro (Team), 2020 Tokyo (Singles)

World Championships Medals

• Silver: 2010 Moscow (Team), 2012 Dortmund (Team), 2014 Tokyo (Team), 2018 Halmstad (Team)
• Bronze: 2023 Durban (Doubles)

World Cup Medals

• Gold: 2017 Liège (Singles)
• Bronze: 2009 Linz (Team), 2011 Magdeburg (Team), 2013 Verviers (Singles), 2015 Halmstad (Singles)

European Games Medals

• Gold: 2015 Baku (Singles), 2019 Minsk (Team), 2023 Kraków–Małopolska (Team)

European Championships Medals

• Gold: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 (Team); 2013, 2015 (Singles)
• Silver: 2014, 2015 (Team); 2020 (Singles)
• Bronze: 2007 (Singles); 2012 (Doubles); 2024 (Singles)

Europe Top-16 Medals

• Gold: 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 (Singles)
• Silver: 2018 (Singles)
• Bronze: 2014, 2023 (Singles)

See also

In Spanish: Dimitrij Ovtcharov para niños