Two compass alumni – Annett Kaufmann and Flavien Coton – returned home from the World Team Championships with bronze medals around their necks. Annett reached the semifinals with Germany, while Flavien achieved the same with France.

One hundred years ago, the very first World Table Tennis Championships were held in London. Players from nine countries competed across four venues. In 2026, exactly 64 women’s teams and 64 men’s teams competed over 13 days between April 28 and May 10 – and two compass alumni were among the few to leave the event as medallists.

Before the World Championships, most table tennis experts expected Simon Gauzy to be the third player in the French men’s team alongside Félix and Alexis Lebrun. Gauzy also played the first two matches as France defeated Chinese Taipei and Germany. But after losing to Benedikt Duda against Germany, Gauzy was replaced by Flavien Coton for the match against Japan.

Flavien justified the confidence shown in him, rescuing France from a 0:3 defeat by coming back from 1:2 to beat Shunsuke Togami 3:2, winning 14:12 in the deciding game of the third match.

France eventually secured a 3:2 victory and claimed the top-seeded spot together with Sweden, who managed to defeat China in their group.

In the knockout stage, Coton defeated Kanak Jha as France overcame the USA 3:0, and then João Geraldo in another 3:0 victory against Portugal. In the quarterfinal against Brazil, Coton faced world number six Hugo Calderano in the opening match.

Flavien simply outplayed Calderano, dominating the receive game by covering almost 80 percent of the table with his backhand. He mixed short, low returns with aggressive backhand flicks and powerful counterattacks, regardless of whether Calderano targeted his backhand or forehand side.

It was a brilliant high-speed performance from Coton. Hugo Calderano was unable to keep up with the pace, while Flavien, at only 18 years old, looked like a player already mastering the game of the future. 12:10, 11:8, 11:9. Mind-blowing.

And Flavien’s impressive run of victories against top-class opponents almost continued when he faced world number one Wang Chuqin in the opening match of the semifinal between France and China. Wang eventually won, but he could also have lost in straight games.

Flavien pushed the Chinese star to his limits. He missed game points in the opening game before losing it 13:15, then responded by winning both the second and third games 13:11 and 11:9, leaving Wang in serious trouble. However, the Chinese player regained control of the match, taking the fourth game 11:4 before sealing the decider 11:8. The large Chinese crowd could finally breathe again.

It was a pity for France that Alexis Lebrun then lost to Liang Jingkun despite holding two match points. Riding that momentum, Wang Chuqin secured China’s place in the final by defeating Félix Lebrun. China later won the final against Japan 3:0.

“Naturally, I was surprised by the quality of Flavien’s performance, but I always knew he was capable of reaching this level,” said Alice Joneau, Flavien’s personal coach since he was around 12 years old.

“I knew that if he was in the best possible conditions, he would be able to show the best version of himself, with aggressive play and exceptional technical and tactical precision.”

Alice Joneau was also impressed by the authority Flavien showed at the table. Despite knowing he had the confidence of the coaches and strong self-belief, she was surprised by the way he took control of the matches, imposing his rhythm and style of play without hesitation.

How was the preparation for the World Championships?

“The goal was simply for him to arrive fresh, not too tired, and with as much confidence as possible in himself and his abilities – especially in his backhand flick on receive. That is the shot he trusts the most, and from there the rest of his game follows.

His performances, and especially the consistency of those performances, come from his positive mindset and the quality of his game, imposing an aggressive yet precise style. He has always put opponents under pressure, not only with his play but also with the way he handles difficult moments. His composure and mentality have often allowed him to make the right decisions in tense situations. He has always taken responsibility and stayed fully engaged in the match.”

Flavien returned from the World Championships very happy with what he achieved, both individually and, above all, together with the team. He is already looking ahead to the next challenges.

Annett Kaufmann’s Germany began the World Championships by defeating France 3:1 and England 3:0 before losing 0:3 to Japan. Annett played in two of the three matches, beating England’s Tin-Tin Ho 3:2 (11:9 in the deciding game) and losing in straight games to Japan’s Miwa Harimoto. Germany finished second behind Japan in the preliminary group, where the team matches only determined the seeding for the knockout stage. After this phase, Germany was seeded among the top four teams.

In the knockout phase, Germany first defeated Malaysia 3:0. Annett did not play in that match, but in the next tie – the round of 16 against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – she was given the responsibility of playing the opening singles. And she delivered, beating Kim Kum Yong 3:1.

Kim, silver medallist in mixed doubles at the Paris 2024 Olympics and winner of the singles title at the 2024 Asian Table Tennis Championships, plays with long pimples on her backhand side. This style is an advantage against most opponents, but not against Annett Kaufmann, who is particularly skilled at exploiting the limitations that come with such rubbers.

Against Hong Kong in the quarterfinals, Annett was selected as Germany’s number three player but lost 1:3 (10:12, 11:8, 8:11, 4:11) to Su Tsz Tung, the 17-year-old world number 64, six places behind Annett in the rankings. However, Han Ying won one match and Sabine Winter both of hers, securing victory for Germany despite Annett’s defeat.

In the semifinal against Japan, German national team coach Tamara Boros selected Nina Mittelham to play instead of Annett. Germany lost 0:3 to a Japanese team that later pushed China all the way in the final, where China eventually secured a 3:2 victory after Wang Manyu defeated Hina Hayata in the decisive match.

Annett’s personal coach Krisztian Nagy summed up her 2026 World Team Championships as follows:

“Annett’s preparation was not ideal due to injury. Despite that, she delivered a solid performance, and not much more could have been expected. She had some strong matches, but consistency and flow were missing.

Mentally and physically, it was not her best tournament. Her standout match was clearly against DPR Korea, where she defeated the Asian champion with an outstanding performance!”

compass Managing Director Daniel Zwickl is very proud that the foundation has supported both Annett and Flavien from an early age.

“First of all, congratulations to the players, their teams, and everyone behind them. From our perspective, it is fantastic to see our compass alumni performing at such a high level despite their young age – especially Flavien. Both he and Annett played highly important matches.”

Zwickl especially highlighted Flavien’s performances. At just 18 years old, competing with the very best players in the world, he believes the future looks extremely promising not only for France but also for Flavien’s individual career.

“It is great to see the pathway they have gone through with compass and with our follow-up program ESN Sports ACE. We are really happy to have been continuously involved in their development.”

Following the World Championships, Annett Kaufmann captured her third consecutive women’s singles title at the German National Championships, held in Erfurt held in Erfurt from 5–7 June.

Annett defeated Mia Griesel in straight games in the quarterfinals before overcoming Nina Mittelham 4:1 in the semifinals. In the final, played in front of around 3,000 spectators, she defeated world No. 9 Sabine Winter in a dramatic seven-game encounter, 12:10, 11:13, 9:11, 11:2, 11:6, 6:11, 11:4.

Following the World Championships, Flavien Coton defeated world No. 26 Thibault Poret in the quarterfinals of the French National Championships, held at Espace Mayenne from 12–14 June.

In the semifinals, Flavien lost to world No. 4 Félix Lebrun in straight games, 9:11, 9:11, 12:14, 4:11. Lebrun went on to defeat his brother Alexis 4:2 in the finals to claim the national title.

The championships attracted large crowds, with around 13,000 spectators attending the event over the three days.