First newcomer for the ladies of the TTC 46 Weinheim
Sophia Klee moves to the Bergstrasse
As reported, the TTC 46 Weinheim has decided to register the first women’s team for the highest table tennis league. For this venture, the staff is to be upgraded a little in order not to be treated as a relegation candidate from the start.
The previous team had won the championship in the second division twice and did without promotion, and the quartet was also at the top in the round that has now been canceled – so they were not that far away from the upper house.
Of this season’s players, Belgian Lisa Lung, Belarusian Daria Trigolos and the two Germans Luisa Säger and Jennie Wolf remain in the squad.
With only four permanent players, there is still some retooling to be done, and board member Christian Säger has managed to secure a top German talent for the TTC 46. The 18-year-old Sophia Klee moves from the first division club ESV Weil to North Baden.
Sophia Klee joined Bundesliga side TuS Bad Driburg from her hometown club SC Niestetal for the 2017/18 season, where she compiled an 11-4 record in the back pair last season until being dropped in February 2020. Bad Driburg then withdrew for the new season, prompting a short-term switch, this time to Southern Baden Bundesliga side ESV Weil.
The first league is currently pulled through despite Corona, and there Sophia has so far earned a balanced record. She had 2065 QTTR points on 11.2.21 and thus ranks behind Lisa Lung (2135), Daria Trigolos (2130) and Luisa Säger (2096) ahead of Jennie Wolf (2048).
Sophia Klee is considered one of the greatest table tennis talents in Germany. She was born in Kassel on May 8, 2003 and will graduate from high school this June.
She became German student champion in 2016 and 2017, continued this series in the youth in 2017, 2018 and 2019. She also collected several titles in doubles at the youth level.
In 2017, she finished third in the women’s doubles competition with Anastasia Bondareva and reached the quarterfinals in 2019.
At the international level, she became European champion in 2017 in the youth doubles again with Anastasia, was the winner of the Europe Youth TOP 10 and reached the quarterfinals with the German team.
In 2019, the team even became European champions, and Sophia finished fourth in the Europe Youth TOP 10 in both 2018 and 2020. At the European Youth Championship of the U21s in 2019 and 2020 was only in the round of 16 end of the line.
Her ex-coach Tobias Kirch attests that she is constantly willing to go the extra mile necessary for exceptional performances and results.
In Corona times, she keeps fit daily by training once or twice a day in her home basement with her siblings. Then in the evening, they work on athletics. “There’s a whole different level of motivation with the three of you, and it’s easier.”
With Sophia Klee, Säger has gained a highly talented young player and drastically increased the proportion of German players, which is not unimportant in times of travel restrictions.
Now everyone is hoping that the 2021/22 season can get back to normal starting in September.
The anticipation is immense.
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