On the third day of the All-Japan Table Tennis Championships, Yukihiro Iwabuchi, one of the para table tennis players eligible to participate in the tournament and who participated in the Tokyo Paralympics, competed against able-bodied high school students.
The All Japan Championship, which is being held at the Tokyo Gymnasium in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, is the first time in history that one man and one man and one woman from each of the three para organizations affiliated with the Japan Table Tennis Association can participate.
On the 24th, the third day of the tournament, 29-year-old Yukihiro Iwabuchi, who participated in the Tokyo Paralympics, appeared on the All Japan stage in the second round of the men's singles.
Iwabuchi has had disabilities in both of his legs since he was born, and his left leg in particular has difficulty gaining muscle and is unable to bend his ankle, so he plays with a brace to keep it in place.
In a match against an able-bodied high school student, he suffered from the opponent's strong shots and was robbed of the first two games.
In the third and final game that followed, Iwabuchi toyed with his opponent with a variety of serves and off-course shots and brought it to deuce, but in the end he lost the game 10-12, losing in straight sets.
After the match, Iwabuchi said, ``I felt very happy because I was able to compete on a stage that I had admired.I have not yet qualified for the Paris Paralympic Games, so I will cherish each day and enjoy Paris as much as I can.'' I want to do it with the feeling of making it the culmination of all of this.''
The junior singles finals were also held on the 24th, with Terukora Matsushima winning the boys' tournament and Miwa Harimoto winning the girls' tournament.