Mima Ito and Tomokazu Harimoto, who have been nominated for the Tokyo Olympics table tennis and Japan national team, participated in the games held in Saitama Prefecture in order to cultivate a sense of actual fighting for the Olympics.

Due to the influence of the new coronavirus, table tennis has not held international competitions since April.



On the 2nd, the Japan Table Tennis Association held a match in Saitama Prefecture that gathered top-level players in Japan in addition to those who have been nominated as representatives, in order to cultivate a sense of actual fighting for the Olympics. ..



The pair of Ito and Jun Mizutani who participated in the mixed doubles played against the men's pair of Maharu Yoshimura and Daimu Arinobu.



Ito and Mizutani couldn't cope with the powerful shots of the opponent pair in the first game, so they dropped 9-11.



Even after the second game, I was pushed by the opponent's powerful and drastic attack and lost the straight with a game count of 0 to 4 without grasping the flow, and the content remained.

In addition, Harimoto played against Mizuki Oikawa, who lost in the All Japan Championship in January in the men's singles.



Harimoto also led the 6th game, which was greeted with a game count of 3 to 2, with 8 to 7, but he was deprived of points for 4 consecutive times and allowed a reversal and dropped 8 to 11, and the game was the final first. Tangled up to 7 games.



In the 7th game, Harimoto scored 11-4, taking points on a tough course with a forehand that had been strengthening for the Olympics in a fierce rally.



Harimoto gained momentum for the Olympics by winning the game with a game count of 4 to 3.



On the other hand, Koki Niwa, who was scheduled to participate in the men's singles game, did not participate because he had symptoms such as fever after vaccination.



The match will be held on the 3rd, with Ito, Kasumi Ishikawa and Miu Hirano participating.

Ito "Prepare to win firmly"

Ito said, "I couldn't play as I expected from the start of today's game. I tried to prevent the opponent's pair from showing their good points. I played even more boldly from the start of the first game. I thought I had to do it, "he recalled.



Also, regarding the match against a pair of male players, "I usually practice with male players, so I didn't have any resistance, but today's two opponents have power, so it is disadvantageous if we connect with one. We couldn't make up for it with such a development. It has always been a challenge to be able to take the initiative even for powerful players, but the current situation is that we have not been able to overcome it. " I was calmly analyzing.



On top of that, for the Olympics, "It is important to practice a lot in this doubles every day from now on, prepare to win firmly against any player and improve your ability. I will participate in the third event, but mixed Doubles is the first, so I want to do my best to gain momentum. "

Harimoto "Don't regret the remaining 3 weeks"

Harimoto said, "I was nervous playing in front of the customer for the first time in a long time, but it was a good experience. I lost to Oikawa in the All Japan Championship and I am not an easy opponent to win even if I am in perfect condition. I fought on the assumption that I would be lead. I thought that the final 7th game would be one more game, whether I won or lost, and I played with the intention of doing 100% more than my opponent. " I looked back on the match.



On top of that, "It was a really good experience to know my adjustments in such a place, and I found some tasks that I could not find in practice. I want to spend the remaining 3 weeks without regrets. I had a good match, so I want to play better at the Olympics and do my best to win two gold medals in singles and groups. "

Mizutani "I will make use of today's reflection and play even better in the future."

Mizutani said, "Today was a disappointing result. The opponents are two of the most powerful boys, so if I took the initiative, I was smashed from there. I had to do it, but there were many scenes where I was hit first, and the development was the same from the beginning to the end. "



On top of that, he said, "I have three weeks left until the Olympics, so I want to have three weeks without regrets. Today I was nervous and I was under pressure to play well. However, I want to make use of today's reflection and play even better in the future. "