View source for Michael Maze

{{short description|Danish table tennis player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox table tennis player
| name= Michael Maze
| image=Michael_Maze.jpg
| imagesize=250px
| caption = 
| fullname = Michael Maze
| nicknames =
| nationality = {{DEN}}
| playingstyle = Left-handed, shakehand grip
| hrank= 8 (January 2010)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ittf.com/ittf_ranking/world_ranking_per_name.asp?Player_ID=105966&U18=0&U21=0&Siniors=1&|title=World ranking Record for MAZE Michael (DEN)|work=ittf.com|accessdate=16 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120627134632/http://www.ittf.com/ittf_ranking/world_ranking_per_name.asp?Player_ID=105966&U18=0&U21=0&Siniors=1&|archive-date=27 June 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| club = Roskilde BTK
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1981|09|01}}
| birth_place = Faxe, [[Denmark]]
| death_date  =
| death_place =
| height =1.85 m<ref name="ittf"/>
| weight =71 kg<ref name="ittf"/>
|medaltemplates =
{{MedalCountry|{{DEN}}}}
{{MedalSport | Men's [[table tennis]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Table tennis at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalBronze| [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Athens]]| [[Table tennis at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's doubles|Doubles]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[World Table Tennis Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalBronze| [[2005 World Table Tennis Championships|2005 Shanghai]] |[[2005 World Table Tennis Championships – Men's Singles|Singles]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Table Tennis European Championships|European Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold| 2005 Århus | Team}}
{{MedalGold| [[2009 European Table Tennis Championships|2009 Stuttgart]] | Singles}} 
{{MedalSilver| [[2009 European Table Tennis Championships|2009 Stuttgart]] | Team}}
{{MedalBronze| 2007 Belgrade | Singles}}
}}

'''Michael Maze''' (born 1 September 1981) is a professional [[table tennis]] player from [[Faxe]], [[Denmark]],<ref name="ittf">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ittf.com/biography/biography_web_details.asp?Player_ID=105966|title=MAZE Michael|work=ittf.com|accessdate=16 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234335/http://www.ittf.com/biography/biography_web_details.asp?Player_ID=105966|archive-date=3 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> in men's singles and doubles. In 2005 he was one of the top five [[left-handed]] players in the world. His strength was in his strong forehand loop and lobbing. He was one of the best defensive lobbers in the world. His strong forehand loop, his forehand pendulum serve, and his confident defensive play away from the table made him a solid all-around player. He competed at four Olympic Games.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/93965 |title=Michael Maze |work=Olympedia |accessdate=18 July 2020}}</ref>

== Career ==
[[File:MazeWR.svg|thumb|left|World ranking positions of Michael Maze since 2001]]
Maze won the [[Table Tennis European Youth Championships|European Junior Championships]] in both singles and doubles in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ittf.com/ittf_stats/All_events3.asp?ID=4605|title=MAZE Michael (DEN)|work=ittf.com|accessdate=16 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819173831/http://www.ittf.com/ittf_stats/All_events3.asp?ID=4605|archive-date=19 August 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> He reached the quarterfinals in the [[Table Tennis European Championships|European Championships]] for seniors in both series in 2003 playing doubles with [[Finn Tugwell]]. Tugwell and Maze participated as partners at the [[Table tennis at the 2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Summer Olympics]] where they reached the round of 16. Before the 2004 Summer Olympics, Maze won the [[Europe Top-12]] tournament in [[Frankfurt am Main]] in February 2004. He participated both in men's singles and men's doubles in the [[Table tennis at the 2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Olympics]]. Maze lost his first match in singles but won bronze with his partner [[Finn Tugwell]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ittf.com/museum/Olympicgames.html|title=ITTF Museum Olympic Results Page|accessdate=2007-12-12|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217101311/http://www.ittf.com/museum/olympicgames.html|archivedate=17 December 2007}}</ref>

Another of Maze's achievements was reaching the semifinals of the [[2005 World Table Tennis Championships|2005 World Championships]] that took place in [[Shanghai]], [[China]], in which he was defeated by the home favorite, [[Ma Lin (table tennis)|Ma Lin]], in a swift 4–0 match.  Nevertheless, he had managed to put up a memorable performance in the quarterfinals of the competition, coming back from a 3–0 deficit to win 4–3 against another Chinese player, [[Hao Shuai]], saving 3 match points, as well as a win in the previous match against 2004 Olympics Men's singles silver medallist [[Wang Hao (table tennis, born 1983)|Wang Hao]], again from the host nation. Michael Maze won the prize "BT Gold" as the biggest Danish sportsperson in 2005.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

Maze won [[Table Tennis European Championships|European bronze]] in singles in 2007. In 2009, Maze had reached the quarterfinals of [[2009 World Table Tennis Championships]], held in [[Yokohama]], [[Japan]]. He was the only [[Europe]]an player to achieve the quarters, beating [[Greece|Greek]] player [[Panagiotis Gionis]] at last 16 Round. On 20 September 2009 he defeated [[Werner Schlager]] in the final of the [[Table Tennis European Championships|European Championships]] held in [[Stuttgart]], [[Germany]] after defeating the German player [[Timo Boll]] in the semis.

Maze (representing [[Denmark]]) was defeated during the [[2012 Olympics]] by [[Dimitrij Ovtcharov]] (representing [[Germany]]) in the Men's Singles Quarter Final.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/photos/germanys-dimitrij-ovtcharov-celebrates-defeating-denmarks-michael-maze-photo-212636857.html|title=UK Yahoo Eurosport|accessdate=2012-12-31}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> His coach is the former Chinese National Team Coach Hu Wei Xin.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

On 14 March 2016, Michael Maze announced the end of his Table Tennis career.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/MichaelMazeOfficial/posts/933792803383304 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/228497027246222/933792803383304 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=Michael Maze - The time has come! I have made the most... {{!}} Facebook|website=www.facebook.com|access-date=2016-03-18}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He was hoping to compete at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

Maze announced his retirement in 2016, saying "after several operations I can no longer train one hundred per cent without pain and therefore not compete at the level I’m used to."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://butterflyonline.com/michael-maze-announces-retirement/|title = Michael Maze Announces Retirement|date = 15 March 2016}}</ref>

In February 2018, Maze announced his return to competitive sport.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.ittf.com/2018/02/20/michael-maze-back/| title = Michael Maze is Back! - International Table Tennis Federation| date = 20 February 2018}} </ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090501055228/http://www.michaelmaze.dk/ Michael Maze's website]

{{Footer European Champions Table Tennis Singles Men}}
{{Footer European Champions Table Tennis Team Men}}
{{Footer European Top-12 Champions Table Tennis Singles Men}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maze, Michael}}
[[Category:1981 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Danish male table tennis players]]
[[Category:Olympic table tennis players for Denmark]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Denmark]]
[[Category:People from Faxe Municipality]]
[[Category:Table tennis players at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Table tennis players at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Table tennis players at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Table tennis players at the 2012 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in table tennis]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:World Table Tennis Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Region Zealand]]
[[Category:21st-century Danish sportsmen]]