One renowned name in the world of table tennis is Dimitrij Ovtcharov. He has even represented Germany in the Olympics and won two silver and four bronze medals for his country.
Dimitrij is a young table tennis player in his early thirties, but his records will shock you as they are so impressive, and accomplishing them is not a joke.
Today, we dive deep into the life of Dimitrij; here, we discuss his career, personal life, net worth, and many more.
But before we begin our article, it is high time we have a look at the quick facts section.
Quick Facts
Full Name | Dimitrij Ovtcharov |
Date of Birth | September 2, 1988 |
Place of Birth | Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
Resides in |
|
Nationality | German |
Religion | Not Known |
Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
Fond of | Watching movies and Running |
School Name | CJD Elze |
Father’s Name | Mykhailo Ovtcharov |
Mother’s Name |
Tatiana Ovtcharov
|
Sibling(s) | Not Available |
Age | 35 Years Old |
Height | 6 ft.1 inch (186 cm) |
Weight | 64 kg (141 lbs) |
Eye Color | Brown |
Hair Color | Black |
Profession | Professional Table Tennis Player |
Equipment(s) |
|
Highest Ranking | #1 (2018) |
Current Ranking | #7 |
Playing Style | Right-handed, Shakehand grip |
Club | GAZPROM Fakel Orenburg (Russia) |
Career Debut | 2010 |
Marital Status | Married |
Married to | Jenny Ovtcharov |
Children | Emma Ovtcharov |
Net Worth | $16 Million |
Social Media | Instagram, Facebook, Twitter |
Table Tennis Merch | Killerspin Table Tennis |
Last Update | July 2024 |
Dimitrij Ovtcharov: Early Life and Education
On September 2, 1988, the TT player was born in Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union. By birth, he is Ukrainian, but he holds citizenship in Germany.
He was born to Mykhailo Ovtcharov (father) and Tatiana Ovtcharov (mother). Besides, table tennis is in Dimitrij’s genes as his mother is a licensed table tennis coach. And father his father was a former national-level tennis champion.
So, we can guess who was his inspiration to play table tennis, of course, from his parents.
Further, Ovtcharov’s father coached TSV Schwalbe Tündernin in the first and second Bundesligas before the 2007 season.
After the Chornobyl nuclear power plant accident, Dimitrij’s father emigrated Dimitrij from Ukraine to Germany to be free of a war zone.
As a result, Dimitrij has adapted to the culture of every country and is fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, and German.
However, there is no information on the presence of his siblings. Also, he went to CJD Elza for his basic education, located in Elza, Germany.
Life After Moving to Germany
It was very hard for Diitrij to adjust to the new place, but eventually, he got used to it. After moving to Germany, Ovtcharov’s father started to give him table tennis lessons so that war and leaving his home country could divert him.
Moreover, Dimitrij was a quick learner, so it did not take him long to be a part of Germany’s youth team first and in adult national teams later. His parents were super supportive, which helped him a lot in his career,
In 1992, the Ovtacharov family relocated themself to Tündern’s Gamelsky district.
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Dimitrij Ovtacharov: Body Measurements
At the time of writing, Dimitrij is 35 years old, and he was born on September 2, which makes his sun sign Virgo.
Usually, Virgo men are noted for their usefulness, obedience, and helpfulness. The core characteristics of males born under this sun sign are exemplary, reliable, and honest and Dimitrij is the same.
Nonetheless, he is 1.86 m or 6 ft.1 inch tall, perfect for crushing his opponents. The Olympian weighs around 64 kg/141 lbs; he must maintain his body to handle the opponent’s attack swiftly.
Dimitrij Ovtcharov: Career
Ovtcharov signed his first ever contract in Gamelsky, with the TSV Schwalbe Tündern club. Besides, after joining the club in the first season, he became the team captain the next season.
Dimitrij Ovtcharov’s first great accomplishment was in 2005 at the junior level competition. Likewise, Ovtcharov also won gold at Junior European Championships in the single layoff held in Ostrava.
For four consecutive years, Ovtcharov became the national team’s European champion. He was also part of Geran’s national team, and in the years 2007 and 2011, he successfully brought bronze medals for his country.
In 2010, at the end of the season, Demitrij won Europe Super Cup in a single event.
Likewise, in the 2012 European Championship, Ovcharov won a bronze medal in a double discharge with Vladimir Samsonov.
In 2014 he successfully won the German title for the first time. He defeated Timo Boll, who happened to be Geran’s #1 table tennis player, by 4:1 in the final match.
Ovtcharov won European Games in 2015 and earned a gold medal. He was ranked Top 16 table tennis players one entire in Europe the same place.
Rise of Demitrij
Demitrij won medal after medal as he was doing well in his career.
But at the World Championships semifinals, Ovtcharov lost to Zhang Jike by 4-1. Dimitrij’s first loss as an individual and this incident motivated him a lot to do even better instead of demotivating him.
In 2015, Ovtcharov came back with a bang and won gold in the European Games and finished at #16 in entire Europe that year.
The same year, he won the European Top 16 Cup but was knocked out from the World Championship in the third round by Croat Tomislav Pucar, who was rated #58 best table tennis player globally.
In the European Team Championship, he and his colleagues won the gold medal in the duel round. The athlete also won bronze in the 2020 Olympics in a single discharge after 2012; this was the first time he had won silver in all positions in Olympics.
Moreover, in the team Olympic event, he and his partner won a silver medal. Dimitrij has won two silver and four bronze medals in the Olympics.
Dimitrij Ovcharove: World Rankings
In 2006 while Dimitrij was at the beginning of his career, he could not get any position as there were a lot of players doing better than him.
But in December of 2006, Dimitrij Ovcharov, who had just become a senior player after moving from the junior category, successfully got ranked #85 in the ITTF world rankings.
In 2007 he was on the world’s top twenty best table tennis players as per IIFT. In just a year from #85 to top twenty, Demitrij was indeed doing great work.
After 2011 he was in the top ten list, and after that, he never lost that position and was always inside the top ten lists.
2018 was when his talent finally got recognized by everyone as he was ranked #1 best table tennis player in the world.
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Similarly, since 2011 Demitrij has been a member of the Russian Torch Gazprom team. And Demitrij has won the European Champions League seven times in his career (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018).
Dimitrij Ovtcharov: Doping Test
Dimitrij got himself in trouble after being tested positive in a drug test. As a result, the German Table Tennis Federation (DTTB) suspended Ovtcharov temporarily on September 22, 2010.
Moreover, he was found using Clenbuterol. Clenbuterol is one restricted substance that is generally used to increase productivity.
Further, Deimitrij refused to have consumed anything and demanded another Sample B test.
Finally, in August, during China Open Championship, Ovtcharov made himself clear and claimed he accidentally acquired Clenbuterol through tainted food. Later, Demitrij requested the federation to test his hair samples.
After a while, on October 15, 2010, his suspension was lifted by DTTB, which ITTF endorsed.
Diitrij Ovtcharove: Personal Life
In 2013, Dimitrij Ovcharov tied his knot with Jenny Mellstorm. About Jenny, she was a former member of the Swedish youth table tennis team.
Besides, she was also the Swedish youth champion from 2003 to 2004. Mellstorm had been a part of the Swedish national team for eight years.
Unfortunately, there is no information on how Jenny and Demitrij met each other and how the feeling of love sparked inside them. The only thing we know is they got married, and in 2016, they welcomed their daughter into this world, who was later named Emma.
Dimitrij Ovtcharov: Net Worth
It is expected that Dimitrij has garnered a huge net worth of $16 million throughout his career. Besides, table tennis has been his main source of income.
He has won several tournaments, including two silver medals which means he has earned $30,000 as prize money from Olympics for winning gold and $40,000 for winning bronze four times.
Besides, we will update you if we find any information regarding his expenditure, property, and car collections.
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Social Media Presence
Demitrij is an active social media user and has accounts on different social sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
This amazing and dynamic table tennis player has around 130k followers on Facebook. Similarly, he has around 141k followers on his Instagram.
Besides, about 13k people follow him on Twitter.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is the coach of Demitrij?
Demiterij was trained by Jörgen Persson. Besides, Jorgen is a Swedish table tennis player who has won four World Championships. But his first mentors were his parents, who introduced and taught him about table tennis.
Has Demitrij retired from his career?
No, he has not, and he does not have plans of retiring anytime soon, and he still has a lot of things to achieve.