Kalinikos Kreanga
Kalinikos Kreanga ( born March 8, 1972 in Bistrita, Romania, Greek Καλλίνικος Κρεάνγκα ) is a Greek tennis players.
Born in Romania, was then still known as Calin Creangă table tennis player in 1989 after the European Youth Championships in Luxembourg, emigrated to Greece and changed his first name to Kalinikos. Currently, he plays in the French League for the club GU Hennebont TT
Since the early 1990s Kreanga is one of the dominant table tennis players in Europe. He is right-handed and plays in shakehand style. He prefers to attack with topspin game with pre-and backhand, which often leads to long rallies.
His major singles titles so far are winning the Europe Top 12 in February 2011 and the German Masters in August 2000 in Karlsruhe (European -up tournament for the Olympic Games in Sydney).
Clubs
- A.C.Zografou (Greece ) (until 1995)
- Finower TTC (1995 /96; 2.BL )
- Royal Villette Charleroi (from 1996)
- TTC Weinheim ( 2nd Bundesliga )
- TTV Hornstein ( Austria ) (until 1999)
- TTF Ochsenhausen (1999-2002)
- Japan: Super Circuit Tournament Series (2002-2003)
- TT Montpellier ( France) ( 2003-2005)
- G. U. Hennebont T. T. (France ) (since 2005)
International success
World Championships
- 2003: 3rd place in individual
- 1991: 3rd place in mixed doubles with Otilia Bădescu
European Championships
- 2013: Vice-European Champion with the team
- 2005: Third in the singles, Vice European Champion in doubles with Vladimir Samsonov
- 2002: Vice-European champion in singles
- 2000: Vice - European Champion in doubles with Ilija Lupulesku
- 1998: Vice - European Champion in doubles with Ilija Lupulesku
- 1994: European Champion in doubles with Zoran Kalinic
- 1992: European Champion in Mixed with Otilia Bădescu
Europe Top 12
- 2011: 1st place
- 2010: 3rd place
- 2009: 3rd place
- 2007: 2nd place
- 1999: 3rd place
World Cup
- 2004: 2nd place
- 2003: 2nd place
ITTF Pro Tour
- 2005 2nd place in individual (St. Petersburg Open )
- 2004 1st place in individual (Chile Open)
- 2004 1st place in individual (St. Petersburg Open )
- 2002 1st place in individual (Japan Open)
- 2002 2nd place in individual ( Grand Finals )
- 1999 2nd place in individual (Australian Open)
Mediterranean Games
Super Circuit
- Nov 2005 in Hiroshima: 2nd place
- January 2004 in Tokyo: 2nd place
- November 2002 in Miyazaki: 2nd place
- November 2002 in Kumamoto: 2nd place
- September 2002 in Hiroshima: 1st place
- September 2002 in Osaka: 1st place
- August 2002 in Tokyo: 1st place
Other international competitions
- 2000 German Masters: 1st place
- 2008 Dunlop Masters: 1st place
National success
Success as a youth player
Private
Kreanga has been married since 2003. He lives in Athens.
Results from the ITTF database