He was always breaking something. In 2008, Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov (pictured) was known for breaking the mold. In the elite ranks of professional table tennis players, where forehand serves from the backhand corner are the standard opening move, Ovtcharov turned heads with his unique backhand service. While Croatia's Zoran Primorac had paved the way for backhand servers a generation earlier, Ovtcharov radically reinvented the service with a mesmerizing full-body motion befitting a martial arts master. This new spin on an old favorite earned Ovtcharov global recognition when TIME magazine named it one of the 50 greatest innovations of 2008. As it turned out, 2008 was a banner year for Dimitrij Ovtcharov ("Dima," to his friends). Not only did he turn 20, but he was invited to represent Germany in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, joining forces with Timo Boll and Christian Süss to win a bronze medal in the men's team event. Since then, Ovtcharov and Boll have played on each Olympic team, and have never failed to medal. Throw in two singles bronzes, including one this summer in Tokyo, and Ovtcharov owns a record six Olympic table tennis medals. Unfortunately, Ovtcharov will now be breaking his streak of appearances at the World Championships. After recently suffering an ankle injury in training (although fortunately not a break), Ovtcharov underwent surgery and will spend the next few months rehabilitating. This will mean missing the 2021 ITTF World Championships Finals, commencing in exactly one month in Houston, USA. "I twisted my ankle during training last week," said Ovtcharov. "After consultation with several experts I decided to have a minor ankle surgery. The operation went very well and showed that it was the right decision... Now I will fully focus on the rehabilitation training which starts right away." Down but not out, Ovtcharov is already looking forward to future challenges. "You know me," he reassured his fans, "I will work hard and I will come back even stronger. See you on the table soon!" While Dima may have caught a bad break this time, he will surely be back to break more molds and records in 2022.

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