German and Russian train together to block Chinese team

(BEIJING, June 14) -- With the Olympic Games being hosted in Beijing this summer, high hopes are being placed on the Chinese national table tennis team, with some even talking of a gold medal sweep. But German player Tie Boll and Russian Vladimir Samsonov have hopes of their own.

According to Wenhui Daily, the renowned German has begun training with the heavyweight Russian in order to prepare for the Games and, more specifically, the Chinese team. Boll, who has previously beaten Chinese players Kong Linghui and Ma Lin, is expected to be one of the strongest competitors in the Men’s Singles competition but he recognizes the power of the Chinese team and admits how difficult it’s been to beat Chinese players in the last 20 years.

Boll and Samsonov often discuss strategies for facing Chinese players, though they still have their own ideas on how to gain the upper hand on opponents. Only by training with top players, Boll says, can he effectively prepare for the Olympic’s high level of competition.