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.Zeitschrift DTS, 1966/20, pp. 6–7 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.SCHOLER-ROWE Diane (FRG). ittf.com
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,Zeitschrift DTS, 1993/6, p. 10 and in 2001 the Dieter Mauritz Gedächtnispreis.Zeitschrift DTS, 2001/7, p. 27
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.Happy birthday Diane and Rosalind, national heroines . ettu.org. 15 April 2013. In 1955 they published a book The twins on table tennis. Their father was the amateur footballer Vivian Rowe, and their uncle was footballer Ronald Rowe.
Rowe died of cancer in Düsseldorf on 19 June 2023, at the age of 90.Tischtennis-Legende Diane Schöler mit 90 Jahren gestorben
See also List of table tennis players List of World Table Tennis Championships medalists List of England players at the World Team Table Tennis Championships
References