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	19 (17 December 2024)
Club	TTC Neu-Ulm
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 September 2, 1988) is a famous German table tennis player. He was born in Ukraine, but his family moved to Germany shortly after he was born. 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. Since 2008, he has won a total of six Olympic medals: two silver and four bronze. In January 2018, he was ranked the number one table tennis player in the world!

Playing Career

Dimitrij Ovtcharov has had a very successful career in table tennis. He has won many medals and achieved top rankings.

Early Olympic Success

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Dimitrij won a silver medal with the German men's team. His teammates were Timo Boll and Christian Süß. He even used a special serving technique that was recognized by Time magazine as one of the top innovations of 2008.

In 2010, there was a misunderstanding about a substance found in his system. After careful checks and investigations, it was proven that he had not done anything wrong. His suspension was quickly lifted by the German Table Tennis Federation and the International Table Tennis Federation.

More Olympic Medals

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Dimitrij won two bronze medals. He earned one in the men's singles event and another with his team. In June 2015, he won a gold medal at the first-ever European Games.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he reached the singles quarter-final. He then helped his team win another bronze medal. In 2017, he won big tournaments like the China Open and the Bulgaria Open. In January 2018, he officially became the World's Number 1 Table Tennis Player!

Recent Achievements (2021)

In March 2021, Dimitrij played well at the WTT Doha events. He won one tournament and reached the semi-finals in another. His strong performance helped him get back into the top ten world rankings.

In June, he played in the European Table Tennis Championships. He made it to the finals but lost to his German teammate, Timo Boll.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo (held in 2021), Dimitrij Ovtcharov won a bronze medal in the men's singles event. He also reached the finals of the men's team event, which earned him his sixth Olympic medal. This was a new record for him!

Equipment

Dimitrij Ovtcharov plays with his right hand and uses a shakehand grip. This is a common way to hold the table tennis racket, similar to shaking hands. He is sponsored by Butterfly, a well-known sports brand.

He uses a special Butterfly Ovtcharov Innerforce ALC blade for his racket. For the rubber on his forehand side, he uses Butterfly Dignics 09C. On his backhand side, he uses Butterfly Dignics 05.

Personal Life

Dimitrij Ovtcharov is married to Jenny Mellström, who is also a table tennis player from Sweden. They got married in 2013. Their daughter, Emma, was born in 2016.

Career Highlights

Dimitrij Ovtcharov has achieved many great things in his table tennis career:

• Olympics: He has won bronze medals in singles (2012, 2020) and silver (2008, 2020) and bronze (2012, 2016) medals with his team.
• World Championships: He has won silver medals with his team multiple times (2010, 2012, 2014, 2018) and a bronze in doubles (2023).
• World Cup: He won a gold medal in singles in 2017 and several bronze medals in singles and team events.
• European Games: He won gold medals in singles (2015) and team events (2019, 2023).
• European Championships: He has won many gold medals in both singles (2013, 2015) and team events (2007-2011, 2013, 2017, 2019).
• Europe Top-16: He has won this singles tournament five times (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019).

See also

In Spanish: Dimitrij Ovtcharov para niños