Germany won the women’s gold and France won the men’s gold.

Two of the gold medallists at the prestigious European Team Championships were compass alumni: Annett Kaufmann and Flavien Coton.

Fifteen-year-old Danilo Faso, who is supported by compass, also made a strong debut in a senior championship.

Croatia hosted the European Team Championships from 12 to 19 October.

In the women’s competition, Germany began the group stage with victories against Slovenia (3:0) and Serbia (3:0). Annett played in both matches, defeating Izabela Lupulesku of Serbia in three straight games and Ana Tofant of Slovenia 11:5 in the decider. These victories qualified Germany for the play-offs, where they overcame England 3:0. This was the round of the last 16, in which Annett won 3:1 against Tin-Tin Ho.

Sweden could not challenge the German team in the quarterfinals, losing all three matches. Linda Bergström, the best Swede and ranked 61st in the world, met Annett, losing 7:11, 8:11 and 8:11. This was Annett’s fourth consecutive individual victory in the tournament.

Germany also made it 3:0 in the semifinal, this time against Portugal. Annett continued her winning streak by defeating Jieni Shao 3:1. Speaking to Tischtennis.de, she said:

“I was a bit impatient today, and she also plays a bit awkwardly against me. But with the right tactics, calmness and spin, I won the game.”

In the final, Germany faced Romania, with Bernadette Szöcs (the number one European player and number 16 in the world) as their anchor. Annett faced “Bernie” in the opening match and won with a score of 11:4, 10:12, 11:8, 4:11, 11:5, having taken a 5:0 lead in the final set.

This was the first time Annett had ever beaten Szöcs.

“I didn’t go into the match feeling confident because of our head-to-head record,” Annett told ETTU News after the match. “But I told myself: I’ve got nothing to lose. Suddenly, I was 9:3 up in the first game, and that’s when I felt confident. I told myself: this match is mine.”

Annett’s sensational victory boosted her teammates and put a lot of pressure on the Romanian team. Sabine Winter won convincingly against Elisabeta Samara (3:1), and Nina Mittelham won 3:1 against Andreea Dragoman. This meant that Germany were crowned team champions of Europe! This victory in Zadar marked Germany’s tenth title win since the tournament was established in 1958.

France comfortably won the men’s title. After winning their group, they beat Slovakia in the round of 16, Belgium in the quarterfinals, and Germany in the semifinals. The final against Romania was never exciting. France won 3:0 after Alexis Lebrun defeated Iulian Chirita, Félix Lebrun overcame Eduard Ionescu and Simon Gauzy beat Ovidiu Ionescu.

compass alumnus Flavien Coton was also in the team, but won his gold medal without playing in any of the games, as France captured the title in the European Team Championships for the fourth time.

But it wasn’t just compass alumni competing in Zadar. compass supported Danilo Faso, 15, represented Italy. Danilo won his debut match when Italy were 0:2 down to Denmark in the first group stage round. He overcame Thor Christensen (3:1). However, this did not help Italy win the team match. Denmark won 3:1.

Their second opponents were Slovenia, who went on to win the group and later capture a bronze medal. Slovenia defeated Italy 3:0. Who came closest to winning among the Italians? Danilo, who was 2:0 up against Bojan Tokić, but lost the decider 11:7.

Two losses meant that Italy did not qualify for the play-off stage. However, Danilo played some promising games.

Daniel Zwickl, compass’s managing director, commented:

“It’s great to see two of our compass alumni, Annett and Flavien, winning European titles with their teams. Annett in particular made a huge mark and had a significant influence for Germany. Moreover, her performance in the final was exceptional and could give her a boost of confidence for the future.

Flavien made the French team and experienced first-hand how the best team in Europe functions. I am very happy and proud of Danilo for not only making the Italian team, but also gaining the trust of the coach to play. He performed well and demonstrated his potential. Congratulations to everyone!”