Bye, Timo - (Part 4 with Thomas Weikert): “A figurehead of German sport”

Germany's top star Timo Boll is completing his announced farewell tour of the German Table Tennis League (TTBL) with Borussia Düsseldorf. Here, at regular intervals, important companions of the most successful player in Bundesliga history share their thoughts and memories of Timo Boll and his incomparable career. In the fourth part of our series “Bye, Timo”, Thomas Weikert, who followed Boll's career first as President of the German Table Tennis Federation, later of the International Table Tennis Federation and for the last three years at the head of the German Olympic Sports Confederation, looks back on encounters with his Hessian “compatriot”.

“I have many memories of Timo Boll. I can say in advance that they are consistently good, pleasant and beautiful ones - not only on a sporting level but also on a human level. Looking back, it turned out that Timo was one of the companions of my own career as a sports official throughout his career - sometimes more and sometimes less closely. I am grateful and proud of that.

I can still remember our first meeting very well. In the mid-90s, when I had just become Chairman of the DTTB Control Committee, my team from TTC Elz played against TTV Müller Gönnern, and our opponents included a teenager making his debut in the 2nd Bundesliga: Timo Boll. It was already said at the time that “Boll” was the absolutely outstanding talent in Germany, even though he initially completed his baptism of fire against us in the lower pairing. We still won - thanks to a lot of experience. If I remember correctly, we lost the game 1:9 or even 0:9.

Staged April Fool's joke at the 2007 European Championships

I also like to think back to other encounters. At the 2007 European Championships in Belgrade, which was my first European Championships as DTTB President, I always started the day with a jog. One day Timo asked me if we would like to run together. We went for a run through Belgrade's city center, but quickly moved our program to the banks of the Sava because of the many dogs running free and their droppings. Even though I had continued to have contact with Timo over the course of the previous years and his first major successes, the memory of this run showed me once again what a natural, friendly, approachable and uncomplicated person Timo was and has remained to this day.

In Belgrade, I was once again able to experience Timo from his humorous side: In view of the first three European Championship titles for the men, including the first for the team, we planned a suitable April Fool's joke for the final evening on April 1st with the then national men's coach and current sports director Richard Prause: with the help of Timo and journalists who were also in the loop, we staged supposed live interviews with 'Richie' and of course Timo as a triple title winner, and after 'Richie' had, as expected, drawn a very positive balance, the gag took its course in the 'interview' with Timo. First Timo expressed his satisfaction with the European Championship result - also still as expected - but then changed his tone and, to the astonishment of all those present, complained quite emphatically and with astonishing seriousness that the coach had never given the right tips during the tournament despite the successes. All of a sudden there was an abrupt silence, many people looked at each other in disbelief and 'Richie' was completely taken aback - and even after the situation was resolved, he didn't immediately forgive us for his deep shock....

Many years together with great successes

Thanks to Timo in particular, I was able to look back on a successful tenure at the DTTB eight years after Belgrade when I moved to the top of the ITTF. We also celebrated medals at the Olympics and World Championships, as well as individual gold medals at European Championships during this period whenever he played - with the exception of the 2009 European Championship home match in Stuttgart.

In my current role at the DOSB, I noticed the immense and widespread high regard for Timo both as an athlete and as a person shortly after taking up my post. In his friendliness and almost inexhaustible patience in dealing with autograph and selfie requests from fans, his willingness to support aid projects, his down-to-earth approachability, his long-famous fairness and respect for every opponent, Timo resembles another icon of German sport: our basketball idol Dirk Nowitzki. In my eyes, it is probably more than just coincidence that Timo and Dirk are known to have become good friends and are already making plans for the future together with their families.

Timo is quite rightly regarded as a real figurehead of German sport. His high reputation also reflects on German table tennis, which everyone can be proud of.

I myself am very happy and really proud - happy and proud to have been able to experience a sportsman like Timo for so long as a good acquaintance and responsible person in the sport.”

Recorded by Florian Manzke