Martha Behrens

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Martha Behrens - married Willke (born May 26, 1932 ) is a former German table tennis player . She took part in the 1954 World Cup and won the Senior World Cup three times.

Youth and adults

Behrens played with the club TTC Blau-Weiß Harsum from 1947 to 1956 in the women's league. She achieved her first national successes in the late 1940s at the Lower Saxony youth championships. In 1958 she reached the double final at the German youth championships with I. Landwehr. This was followed by numerous titles in the Lower Saxony championships in the adult division .

At the national German championships in 1952 she reached the semi-finals in doubles with R. Henze and in mixed with Konrad Dettmer . In 1954 she was runner- up behind Ulla Paulsen in the individual. With Inge Süssmann she played again in the semifinals in 1955 and 1957.

In the mid-1950s, Behrens was one of the best German players. In the 1954 all-German ranking, she was ranked third. In the same year she was nominated for the world championship , where she was thirteenth with the women's team. In the individual competitions she lost in singles to Claude Rougagnou (France), in doubles with Bep Oosterwijk (Netherlands) after a bye against Shirley Jones / Vera Rowe (Wales) and in mixed with Peter von Pierer after bye against Hassan Abou Heif / Khadiga Abou Heif Rifaat (Egypt). At the International French Championships in Rouen in 1957, she finished third.

When the women's team of the TTC Blau-Weiß Harsum disbanded in 1956, Behrens joined the TTC Westfalia Münster association. In the same year she married and then performed under the name Martha Willke .

Seniors

In 1977 Willke played in Hildesheim , later at SV Cheruskia Laggenbeck . Since the 1980s she successfully participated in senior tournaments. Since 1983 she has won more than 20 titles at the German senior championships. In doubles she mostly harmonized with Waltraud Zehne. In 1992 and 2002 she won the Senior World Championship in doubles. In 2008 Willke won the world title in singles (over 75), in 2010 she was third in doubles over 75. Already in 2005 the European Championship was third in the individual.

Willke has been playing at TTV Lübbecke since 2000 and still competes in the association league.

Results from the ITTF database

Association event year place country singles Double Mixed team
GER  World Championship  1954  Wembley  CLOSELY   last 128  last 32  last 64  9 

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Table tennis magazine, official organ of the Lower Saxony table tennis association 2007 / 7–8, page 7
  2. ↑ Magazine DTS , 1956/11 Page 15
  3. ↑ DTS magazine , 1977/18 page 33
  4. ↑ Martha Behrens results from the ITTF database on ittf.com (accessed September 4, 2011)

Literature and Sources

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Behrens, Martha
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Willke, Martha
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German table tennis player
DATE OF BIRTH May 26, 1932