The athletes "rice balls" just before the match that the Olympic reporters saw ...

At the Tokyo Olympic Games venue, a new shooting location was set up for the media for the purpose of posting on the Internet.

Shooting using a smartphone is permitted there, and it is possible to send information as soon as possible.

There, I was able to cover the appearance of the players just before the match, which had been veiled so far.

(Tokyo Olympics coverage group reporter Yu Yokoyama)

In a place closer to the players

The Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, which was the venue for table tennis.

I was in charge of interviewing from the newly established shooting location for the purpose of posting on the Internet etc. at this tournament.

Although the shooting equipment is limited to smartphones, it is a place closer to the players than the place where cameramen from TV stations and newspaper companies interview and shoot.

So I shot singles and group games on my smartphone and posted them on Twitter.

"Warm-up area"

One of the places where we were allowed to interview this time is the "warm-up area" where players practice just before the match.

The first photo was taken by Kasumi Ishikawa, who participated in three consecutive Olympic Games.

While paying attention to the infection control of the new coronavirus, I took a picture of the practice from the designated area on the second floor.

As the rally continued, Ishikawa's facial expression became sharper and sharper, and I could see him entering the "match mode".

In addition, the male ace Tomokazu Harimoto made a loud voice every time he hit a powerful ball from the beginning of the practice, and the spirit of the match was conveyed.

From that figure, I felt that I was inspiring myself to face the first Olympics.

Mima Ito, who won the gold medal in the mixed doubles and the bronze medal in the women's singles, showed various expressions in this area.

In practice, when I thought that I hit the smash continuously with a serious look, I talked with Hina Hayata, who was born in the same year and is the practice partner, with a smile, and even though it was just before the game, a loud laughter sometimes echoed.

On the other hand, there was also a scene where I enthusiastically looked back at the video of my own play immediately after the match that I won straight.

It was when I was covering this area that I felt the spirit of the table tennis kingdom, China.

After the Chinese pair lost to Jun Mizutani and Ito in the mixed doubles and missed the gold medal, it was impressive to see Liu Guoliang, chairman of the China Table Tennis Association, giving advice to the players just before the match.

"Final call area"

There are other places where coverage is permitted.

This is a waiting area called the "final call area" where players wait for entry to the court.

Here, you can feel the tension just before the game suddenly increase.

A player who takes steps and goes back and forth in the same place without hesitation.

Players who sit still in their chairs and ponder their thoughts, etc., have improved their concentration toward the game in each way.

Ito was also surprised here.

I was eating rice balls at this place just before the game.

It was a moment when I felt that one of Ito's strengths was to go to the match at his own pace without moving anywhere.

During the match ...

During the game, I sat in a chair about 10 meters from the table tennis table and interviewed from the same perspective as the players.

Here, in addition to the trajectory and course of the ball, the vivid atmosphere of the game is clearly conveyed, such as the powerful hitting sound and the breathing of the players.

I interviewed Ito's games from this place for 4 games, but I have a strong ability to hit the course aggressively if it gets a little sweeter by looking at various serves and opponent's movements that do not allow the opponent to easily return the ball I was overwhelmed by the many techniques such as shots.

What impressed me was the semi-final of the women's singles on the 29th of last month.

A match in which Ito played against the same 20-year-old rival, Sun Yingsha of China, and lost straight with a game count of 0-4. I could see Ito's gestures that had never been seen before, such as frowning as if thinking about something, staring at the racket, and nodding many times to tell himself.

In the interview after the match, I saw Ito tears in his eyes, and I felt that the gesture during the match was a tremor that I couldn't imagine playing table tennis.

I have posted various scenes from the shooting position that conveys the feelings of the players who play. What will Japanese players look like in the team competition that started on the 1st? We will continue to cover from the competition site.