In a sentence

Together with Han Ying and Shan Xiaona, she lifted Germany’s women’s team into a place where it could compete for medals beyond Europe.

Playing style

  • Left-handed shakehand, with serves whose spin and placement are genuinely dangerous
  • Strong backhand, able to drive through rallies and change direction on her own terms
  • Well suited to doubles and team events — a versatile piece in the German lineup

Career and key moments

At the 2016 Rio Olympics she won women’s team silver as part of Germany’s squad — one of the most important results in German women’s table tennis in decades. She went on to be a long-term mainstay of the team, reaching the podium repeatedly at European Championships and major world events, and stood among the Europeans with the best chance against Asian players.

What she left the game

Her presence left Germany’s women’s team almost without a rival in Europe, and gave new credibility to the idea that a European side could go toe to toe with Asian teams in the Olympic team event.

In a sentence: When a team reaches the Olympic team podium, it usually means all three of its players are very hard to beat.