| Diane Rowe | |
| Full Name: | Diane Schöler-Rowe |
| Nationality: | English, West German |
| Birth Place: | Marylebone, London, England |
| Death Place: | Düsseldorf, Germany |
| Medaltemplates: | |
Diane Schöler (née Rowe; 14 April 1933 – 19 June 2023) was an English table tennis player. In 1966 she married German table tennis player Eberhard Schöler, and from that time on competed for West Germany.[1] From 1951 to 1972 she won several medals in single, double, and team events in the Table Tennis European Championships, and in the World Table Tennis Championships.[2]
Rowe started training in table tennis aged 14, under Viktor Barna. She was left-handed and until 1951 played a defensive style, but later put more accent on attacking. In early 1966, she married Eberhard Schöler and moved to Düsseldorf, where she gave birth to a daughter. She retired from competitions in 1973 and until 1997 worked as a table tennis coach. In 1993 she received the ITTF Merit Award,[3] and in 2001 the Dieter Mauritz Gedächtnispreis.[4]
Rowe also won 17 English Open titles.
Diane Rowe had a twin sister, Rosalind Rowe, who was also an international table tennis player. They often played doubles together.[5] In 1955 they published a book The twins on table tennis.[6] Their father was the amateur footballer Vivian Rowe, and their uncle was footballer Ronald Rowe.[7]
Rowe died of cancer in Düsseldorf on 19 June 2023, at the age of 90.[8] [9] [10]