What’s new from the HYLO® Sport family
Our #hyloathletes are back in competition rhythm and making headlines. We take a look back at the last seven days’ events and competitions featuring our athletes, teams and clubs.
URSAPHARM Fight Night IV: Saarland athlete of the year Doberstein unveils world championship opponent
On Wednesday 21 January 2026 (10:30 a.m.), Jürgen Doberstein presented his upcoming world championship opponent Pierre Hubert Dibombe in the ballroom at the Theater am Ring in Saarlouis. The pair stood on stage together, providing a first look at what fans can expect at URSAPHARM Fight Night IV on 21 February.
Dibombe has been one of the top boxers in the super-middleweight world for years. The Frenchman has been a professional since 2014, is currently 61st in the world and has proved his skill numerous times with national and international titles. He has won 13 of his 24 professional fights via knockout – a clear indication of his power.
Fight Night once again promises an extensive programme with numerous title fights and regional talents to round out the evening’s sport. However, the ‘Dobermann’ is focusing his full attentions on his next attempt to defend his GBC world championship title – another milestone following his title win in 2024 and successful defence last year. The entire evening of bouts will be streamed live by hylo.sport.
Doberstein has also been given a boost by a very special accolade: last week he was named ‘Saarland athlete of the year 2025’ – a success that highlights how important he is for Saarland sport and has upped excitement levels even further for the upcoming fight night.
Further details of the event can be found in our HYLO® News.
Special award for Andreas Waschburger at 2025 Saarland athlete awards
On Thursday (22 January 2026), Andreas Waschburger also played a starring role at the ‘Saarland athlete of the year’ gala. He was given a special award for his exceptional overall performance in the Ocean’s Seven, highlighting his status as an exceptional extreme swimmer on the global stage.
Waschburger completed his historic mission in September 2025 by crossing all seven straits in the Ocean’s Seven in a new world record time. One particularly spectacular moment was his final swim across the North Channel, which he managed to complete in a new record time for the strait of 8:11:12 hours. A total time of 49:37:40 hours made him the first athlete ever to come in under the 50‑hour mark, making sporting history.
The judging panel acknowledged this feat as a sporting milestone with an impact that stretches far beyond the region itself.
Elversberg dominate, Bochum hold firm
Sunday (25 January 2026) marked SV Elversberg’s first home game of the year in the URSAPHARM Arena, against VfL Bochum. Elversberg began in powerful form, gaining good opportunities early on and hitting the goalposts twice. Bochum, on the other hand, took advantage of their first shot on goal to secure the lead. SVE equalised after half-time thanks to Lukas Petkov and remained on the ball, but no longer had the precision they needed to turn the match around.
Manager Vincent Wagner provided an accurate summary after the final whistle: ‘That was probably the best first half in our last five matches, but football is ultimately all about the final score.’
The full match report can be found in our HYLO® News.
SVE enjoyed one more very special moment off the pitch to round off the week: they were named team of the year at the ‘Saarland athlete of the year 2025’ awards – recognition of the path the club have taken in recent years.
Things continue for SVE on Saturday evening (31 January) with a floodlit away thriller against 1. FC Kaiserslautern.
FCS Tischtennis consolidate third place with home win
On Friday (23 January 2026), 1. FC Saarbrücken Tischtennis celebrated a 3:1 home win against TSV Bad Königshofen at the Joachim‑Deckarm‑Halle – without their top trio. Fan Zhendong, Patrick Franziska and Darko Jorgic were all missing, but Saarbrücken still demonstrated how resilient the team have now become.
The evening began with a special moment: Hermann Mühlbach made his TTBL debut for Bad Königshofen and immediately caused Eduard Ionescu some problems in the opening singles. Mühlbach carved out a 2:0 lead before Ionescu managed to turn the match around. ‘I was not well prepared enough. I am happy that I could turn the match around in my favour’, Ionescu later said. Mühlbach was sporting about the defeat and described it as a ‘very positive’ experience.
Cedric Meissner stepped up for the second singles. His duel with Filip Zeljko remained open for a long time, but Meissner found clear solutions in the deciding set to increase the tally to 2:0. After the break, Bastian Steger closed the gap for the away team, then Ionescu rounded things off in his second singles match to secure the 3:1 overall win for Saarbrücken.
This success emphasises the breadth of the FCS TT squad: Ionescu took responsibility, Meissner scored at a vital moment, and Wang Lichen pushed a strong opponent to a fifth set. Saarbrücken have now consolidated third place in the table with 20:8 points and remain fully on track for the playoffs.
The full match report can be found in our HYLO® News.
Things continue on Saturday 31 January 2026 (7 p.m.) with an away match against TTC Ochsenhausen.
Team75 Motorsport begin PSCSE season with a win and a podium finish
On the weekend of 24 and 25 January 2026, Team75 Motorsport began the new Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe season in Portimão – with a strong performance. Marco Giltrap initially reached second place on the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve circuit in his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and then decisively won the second race. This sees Team75 at the top of the table after the first event.
The qualifying round illustrated how challenging the conditions were on the Algarve. Giltrap secured third place on the grid twice on a drying track. In the first race, he had battled his way to the front by halfway through but was ultimately overtaken by a competitor who had opted for slick tyres. The 22‑year-old completely turned the tables in the second race: with the rain battering down, he took the lead early on and then confidently held it through to the end, almost 20 seconds ahead of the next driver.
Giltrap sounded happy after the weekend: ‘I am very happy with our first weekend. The team gave me an outstanding car for both races.’ Team boss Jennifer Leising also praised the performance overall: ‘Marco drove two top-class races. The win in the second race was a sensational performance. I am incredibly proud of this team.’
Things continue for Team75 Motorsport next weekend with races three and four of the PSCSE in Estoril, Portugal.
proWIN Volleys secure five points in double-header
At the weekend (24 and 25 January 2026), the proWIN Volleys played their first double-header of the year at the Multifunktionssporthalle on SPORTCAMPUS Saarbrücken – securing a total of five points. A clear 3:0 win on Saturday and a hard-fought five-set victory on Sunday ensured a strong home weekend overall.
First of all, Holz faced Sparda BSP Stuttgart on Saturday, dominating the match right from the outset. The Volleys confidently won 3:0 (25:16, 25:16, 25:17), impressed with their serving and receiving, and gave Stuttgart few opportunities to gain a foothold in the match.
Things were much tighter on Sunday. Holz initially started strong against TSV Unterhaching and established a 2:0 lead (25:20, 25:19). Then the momentum turned: Unterhaching took advantage of a period of weaker play by the Volleys to equalise with 15:25 and 19:25. However, Holz regained their stability in the tie-break to win the set 15:10 – and thus the match 3:2. In table terms, this means three points from Saturday and two from Sunday – five in total.
This result sees the proWIN Volleys pulling away from the relegation spots and provides a boost of confidence for the coming week. Another double-header awaits: Saturday 31 January 2026, 4 p.m. in Stuttgart (MTV‑Halle MoTiV Feuerbacher Tal) and Sunday 1 February 2026, 4 p.m. against the current table leaders in Lohhof (FOS/BOS Unterschleißheim sports hall).
Royals dominate Freiburg to extend their streak
On Saturday (224 January 2026), the Saarlouis Royals welcomed Eisvögel USC Freiburg to the Stadtgartenhalle and continued their positive DBBL trend. A clear 90:61 win confirmed the team’s current stability, seeing them build seamlessly on their home win against Marburg the week before.
The Royals controlled the match right from the outset. Five players scored in the double figures, attacks flowed with the ball, and in defensive terms, Freiburg were left unable to respond for large portions of the match. The structure and intensity that head coach Matiss Rozlapa and assistant coach Michael Bellmann have been demanding for weeks similarly shaped this performance – consistent team play, clear roles, and lots of energy on both sides of the court.
This clear win consolidates the Royals’s second place in the Bundesliga and sends them off into their next tasks with a clear boost of self-confidence. On Friday the team are heading to Berlin, where a duel against ALBA Berlin awaits on Saturday at 4 p.m. The home team have won their last four matches and most recently narrowly defeated Nördlingen 68:65 – so this match promises the usual level of excitement.
Strong away performance: HG Saarlouis remain top of the table
On Sunday (25 January 2026), HG Saarlouis faced HC Düsseldorf Ratingen and secured a clear 32:23 victory in the 3. Liga Südwest. The table leaders put in a focused performance in front of 273 spectators to defend their top position.
Despite the absence of top goal scorer Yves Kunkel, who was out due to illness, Saarlouis quickly established a foothold in the match. Elyas Noh performed his role solidly and Michel Fiedler became a decisive factor in goal: he emboldened the home team early on with 13 saves and four saved penalties, giving his team the stability they needed.
After an evenly matched opening phase, HGS began to more consistently exploit their opportunities. Saarlouis even survived a brief period with two players down without conceding a goal. The team managed to reach a score of 14:10 by half-time. In the second half, HGS completely controlled play, stopping Ratingen from closing the gap to fewer than three goals and continually expanding their lead.
Play around the circle was particularly striking: Meti Durmishi and Joshua Reitz were repeatedly cleared well and scored nine goals between them. Young players were also given time on court during the final stages and joined the list of goal scorers. Coach Jörg Lützelberger appeared happy after the match and particularly praised the performance of his goalkeeper.
This away win reinforces HG Saarlouis‘s position at the top of the table and gives them wind in their sails for the weekend ahead: the Saar‑Palatinate derby against Friesenheim‑Hochdorf in the Stadtgartenhalle (Saturday 31 January 2026).
We are looking forward to upcoming events and appearances from our #hyloathletes and wish all of our HYLO® partners much luck and success.