Miu Hirano preparing for the All Japan Table Tennis Championship “From the first match to the final match”

Miu Hirano, who will compete in the All-Japan Table Tennis Championships for the women's singles team at the Paris Olympics, expressed her enthusiasm in an interview, saying, ``For me, it feels like the first match is like the final match, so I want to do my best with the mindset of winning every ball.'' Ta.

The All Japan Championship, held in Shibuya, Tokyo, to determine the best table tennis player in Japan, is the final competition for the selection race for the Paris Olympics, and in the women's singles, Hina Hayata has secured a spot on the national team, but is in second place in terms of selection points. The difference between Miu Hirano and third place Mima Ito is 34.5 points, so there is a possibility of a reversal.

On the 25th, Hirano said in an interview, ``I've been playing table tennis with the aim of winning the second singles spot, so I think this is the culmination of my career.I haven't decided what to do with the next Olympics in Paris, so this may be my last tournament. For me, it feels like the final match from the first match, so I want to do my best with the mindset of winning one ball at a time and fight as if it were a martial arts game with a net between the ends of the net," he said with enthusiasm.

Regarding her competition for the national team with Ito, who is the same age as her, she said, ``I'm proud to be able to compete with Ito, and no matter who wins or loses, I'll still be proud, so I'll keep that feeling in mind and win one game at a time.'' I want to do it," he said.

The seeded players will have their first match in the fourth round on the 26th, with Hirano facing 16-year-old Rin Mente, who is the runner-up in the junior women's singles at this tournament, and Ito facing Moe Nomura.

Harimoto: “This year, all we want to do is win.”

Tomokazu Harimoto, who is in the lead in the selection race for the Paris Olympics and is aiming for his second championship in men's singles at the All-Japan Championship for the first time in six years, said in an interview before the singles match starting on the 26th, ``I don't care about the opponent or the content.'' Regardless, all I want to do this year is win.I feel like I'm going to win no matter how I win, and if I finish 2nd or lower, it's the same as losing the first round, and since it's the Olympic season, I'm definitely going to win this year. I want to do it,” he said with enthusiasm.

Regarding the Paris Olympics, for which he has secured a place on the singles team, he says, ``It feels like it's still a little far away, but I was in a state of extreme nervousness with only a month or two left at the Tokyo Games, so I'd like to focus on what's right in front of me first. I want to get through the match and prepare for that tense situation."

Harimoto will face Hayato Kizou in the fourth round on the 26th, the first men's singles match.