Michael Maze Ready to Return to International Table Tennis - Tokyo 2020 is the Main Goal
The greatest Danish table tennis star of all time, Michael Maze, is ready to re-enter the international table tennis scene. After the table tennis star in 2016 ended his international career because of too many injuries his body has now had the necessary time to rest and fully recover and he is now ready to compete with the world's top.
During the last two years the table tennis icon, Michael Maze, has played selected matches for the Danish Club Roskilde BTK 61, where the key to success has been listening to the body. During this season he has been back at a fantastic high level, and in the end of 2017 Michael Maze and Roskilde played Champions League against the German team Borussia Düsseldorf and despite a defeat to the world-class team in the last group stage match Roskilde qualified for the Champions League quarterfinal, where they met the star-studded team Fakel Gazprom Orenburg. The match against the Champions League favourites from Düsseldorf, where Michael Maze played a very close match against his friend, rival throughout his career and world's no. 3, Timo Boll, and the match against Jun Mizutani, the world's no. 14, from the Russian team, gave Michael Maze the courage to resume his international career:
"My body feels great at the moment and I have really missed to play at the highest level. The last Champions League matches where I showed that I can still play with the world's top, despite the fact that I nowhere near train as much as they do, got me thinking about a proper comeback. Well I have though about it for a some time, I know it will take a long time, but I have the time and I'll take it slowly and build it all up again. The right training combined with the the right recovery is the key for me and I have a great team around me."
- Michael Maze
The 36 year old Michael Maze has set his comeback to international table tennis to be for the Danish National Team when they on the 27th of February 2018 will play Sweden in Halmstad for the European Championship qualification. A Championship that takes place in 2019 in Nantes in France. The goal for 2018 is the World Team Table Tennis Championships also in Halmstad, from the 29th of April 2018 to the 6th of May 2018, however the main goal for the Danish table tennis legend is the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo:
"I am very excited to get started and to play for the Danish national team again. It's been fantastic to follow the development of Jonathan Groth from the sideline. Groth is one of the best in Europe at the moment and hopefully we can achieve some great results together.
"My main goal though is to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Games. I know it takes a lot of training, some people might think I'm crazy but I love a challenge. I hope not just to compete but also to make a great result at my fifth Olympic Games"
- Michael Maze
Michael Maze wrote Danish history when he in London in 2012 competed at his fourth Olympic Games. His results are impressive and speak for themselves; he has won medals at the European Championships, World Championships and Olympic Games.
His major sporting breakthrough came in 2004 when he won the European Top 12, amongst others he won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in 2004 (double), World Championships bronze in 2005 (single), and by the end of 2005 he was awarded Danish Sports Personality of the Year. In 2009 he won the European Championships (single), and in 2010 he achieved his highest ranking on the world rankings when he was number 8.
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