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Patrick Franziska uses leaf blower to dry jersey due to superstition
German table tennis professional Patrick Franziska, ranked 15th in the world, utilized unconventional methods to dry his playing jerseys during recent tournaments in Montpellier and Frankfurt. Driven by superstition, the 34-year-old athlete prefers to wear the same blue jersey in which he has previously won matches.
Due to tight schedules between quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals, Franziska lacked the time to wash his kits. In Montpellier, he used a leaf blower to dry his sweat-soaked jersey after volunteers were unable to provide a hair dryer. During the tournament in Frankfurt, he used a flocking machine provided by an equipment supplier at the Süwag Energie Arena.
Despite these efforts, the dried jerseys did not result in tournament victories. Franziska lost the final in Montpellier to South Korea’s Jang Woojin and lost the final in Frankfurt to Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto.
Entities
1. FC Saarbrücken · Jang Woojin · Lars Hielscher · Patrick Franziska · Tomokazu Harimoto
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 4 SOURCES] Franziska used a leaf blower to dry his jersey in Montpellier. www.noz.de · www.saarbruecker-zeitung.de · www.onetz.de · www.tz.de
- [● 4 SOURCES] Franziska's coach, Lars Hielscher, stated that the player is somewhat superstitious. www.noz.de · www.saarbruecker-zeitung.de · www.onetz.de · www.tz.de
- [● 4 SOURCES] Patrick Franziska is ranked 15th in the world in table tennis. www.noz.de · www.saarbruecker-zeitung.de · www.onetz.de · www.tz.de
- [● 4 SOURCES] Franziska lost the Montpellier final to Jang Woojin. www.noz.de · www.saarbruecker-zeitung.de · www.onetz.de · www.tz.de
- [● 4 SOURCES] Franziska lost the Frankfurt final to Tomokazu Harimoto. www.noz.de · www.saarbruecker-zeitung.de · www.onetz.de · www.tz.de
- [● 4 SOURCES] Franziska used a flocking machine in Frankfurt to dry his jersey. www.noz.de · www.saarbruecker-zeitung.de · www.onetz.de · www.tz.de