Weißrussland
Vladimir Samsonov
He was once World Number 1 and has consistently been a World Top 15 player since 1995. He holds a record of 26 ITTF World Tour men’s singles titles so far. The Chair of the ITTF Athletes Commission is a real cosmopolitan: He speaks Russian, English, German, Serbian, French and Spanish. His Serbian wife Natascha and their 2 sons Victor and Ivan live in Spain. His most difficult moment in sport was losing the bronze medal match at the 2016 Rio Olympics against Jun Mizutani from Japan. "This was probably my last chance to get an Olympic medal, as I don’t know if I will be at Tokyo in 2020," he stated.
Facts
World Ranking
8
Birthplace
Minsk
Current Club
Fakel Gazprom Orenburg, Russia
Size
190 cm
Weight
83 kg
Style of play
right-handed, shakehand, attack
Achievements
Olympic Games
4th place Singles 2016
Quarter-finals Singles 1996/2000
World Championships
Runner-up Singles 1997
World Cup
Winner 1999/2001/2009
Runner-up 2013
European Games
Runner-up Singles 2015
European Championships
Winner Singles 1998/2003/2005
Winner Team 2003
Winner Doubles 1998
Europe Top 12
Winner 1998/1999/2001/2007
Stars in Action
Men
Stars in Action
Women
partners & sponsors
