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Nina Mittelham
Photo:
LEONHARD SIMON / EPO
Nina Mittelham had to give up under dramatic circumstances in the final of the European Table Tennis Championships in Munich.
The 25-year-old German, twelfth in the world rankings, apparently applied for a break in treatment in a duel with Austrian Sofia Polcanova because of a shoulder injury to her right arm when the score was 0: 2 sets and withdrew to the catacombs with the medical staff.
Although the sports soldier then competed again, she was only able to play four more points.
With tears, Mittelham congratulated her opponent, who was two years older.
Her only choice is to win the silver medal.
The two German players Shan Xiaona and Sabine Winter also won bronze.
Mittelham's exit in the final was the second dramatic knockout for a favorite from the German team in the Munich European Championship tournament.
Last Friday, the top seeded top 10 player Han Ying had to retire in the round of 16 against Winter after the first rally due to a lumbar spine injury.
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