Rudi Piffl
Rudolf Piffl (born June 1, 1924 in Prague ; † May 26, 2013 in Stuttgart ) was a German table tennis player. He was one of the best German table tennis players at the beginning of the 1950s , although he had lost an arm and is so far the only player with a disability to become the German champion among the non-disabled.
Life
Rudi Piffl came to Germany in 1946. A year later he was the first champion of Württemberg. During the Second World War he lost his right arm in the Battle of Stalingrad . However, since he was left-handed , he could still play table tennis.
After the war he immediately started competitive sports . From 1947 to 1960 he won the championship of Württemberg 14 times in a row , was German doubles champion in 1952 (with Heinz Schneider ) and took part in the 1952 world championship, where he reached the quarter-finals - also with Heinz Schneider. Between 1950 and 1956 he was invited to international matches 8 times. In November 1950 he took part in the first competition between the Federal Republic of Germany and the GDR .
From the mid-1980s he played successfully at the German senior championships.
In November 1984 he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon . Rudi Piffl died in 2013 and was buried on May 31st in the cemetery in Stuttgart-Birkach .
Sporting successes
- Participation in world championships
- 1952 in Bombay: only individual competition (not a member of the team), quarter-finals in doubles (with Heinz Schneider )
- International championships
- 1952 Switzerland: 1st place individual
- 1953 Switzerland: semi-finals singles
-
National German championships
- 1952 in Berlin: 2nd place singles, 1st place doubles (with Heinz Schneider )
- 1954 in Berlin: 4th place doubles (with Heinz Schneider )
- Championships of Württemberg
- 1947–1960 Champion of Württemberg 14 times in a row
- National German senior championships
- 1985 Ü60 in Krefeld: 2nd place singles, 1st place mixed (with Ursula Bihl)
- 1986 Ü60 in Baunatal: 2nd place individual
- 1987 Ü60 in Sindelfingen: 1st place singles, 1st place doubles (with K. Schmid), 1st place mixed (with Ursula Bihl)
- 1988 Ü60 in Mölln: 2nd place singles, 2nd place mixed (with Ursula Bihl)
- 1990 60+ in Itzehoe: 1st place individual
- 1991 Ü60 in Hagen: 2nd place doubles (with K. Schmid)
- 1995 Ü70 in Solingen: 2nd place individual
- 1996 Ü70 in Hochheim: 1st place individual
- 1988 Paralympics in Seoul: Gold medal with the German team
- Leaderboards
- 1952: 2nd place in the German DTTB rankings
societies
- Stuttgarter Kickers (1945–1958)
- Police Stuttgart (from December 1958)
- Adolff Backnang (from 1962) (Association League)
- DJK Sportbund Stuttgart (from 1971)
Private
Piffl was married and had a son (* 1948, died at the age of 4 months) and two daughters (* 1949 and * 1962).
Results from the ITTF database
| Association | event | year | place | country | singles | Double | Mixed | team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER | World Championship | 1952 | Bombay | IND | last 64 | Quarter finals | no participants |
literature
- Helmut Käser: Globetrotters in matters of table tennis , DTS magazine , 1974/11 p. 38
- Otto E. Lackner: With table tennis, he overcame resignation. , DTS magazine , 1988/1 p. 22
- Thomas Walter: Obituary - Mourning for Rudi Piffl, magazine tischtennis regional Süd Page 18 Online on the website of the table tennis association Württemberg-Hohenzollern (accessed on July 6, 2013)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c obituary notice (accessed on July 6, 2013)
- ↑ DTS magazine , 1984/12 page 23
- ↑ Magazine DTS , 1948/22 Page 51
- ↑ Magazine DTS , 1949/22 Page 8
- ↑ Rudi Piffl Results from the ITTF database on ittf.com (accessed on September 14, 2011)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Piffl, Rudi |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Piffl, Rudolf |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German table tennis player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 1, 1924 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Prague |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 26, 2013 |
| Place of death | Stuttgart |