Ahead of the team table tennis world championships, the Japanese national team's practice session was made public, and players Tomokazu Harimoto and Hina Hayata, who have been selected to represent the team at the Paris Olympics, expressed their enthusiasm.
The World Table Tennis Championships alternate between individual and team competitions every other year, and this year, the men's and women's team competitions will be held in South Korea from February 16th.
If they advance to the top eight in this tournament, they will earn the right to participate in the team competition at the Paris Olympics, as well as two spots each for men and women in singles.
In preparation for the tournament, the players from Japan's national team are holding a training camp in Kita Ward, Tokyo, and their practice session was shown to the press on the 8th.
Hayata, who is ranked 5th in the world and is expected to be the mainstay of the women's team and has been selected to represent the team at the Paris Games, headed to the table tennis table earlier than anyone else, checked her footwork when receiving, and performed a rally with strong strikes.
After that, she spent a lot of time trying to deal with the swinging balls of the Luxembourg players she was competing against in the qualifying league.
Hayata, 23, said, ``This is my third time competing in the team world championships, and before I knew it, I was the oldest. I want to do my best to fulfill my role as an ace.''
In addition, Harimoto, a 20-year-old male ace ranked 9th in the world, repeatedly practiced his footwork and rallies, and hit the ball powerfully while speaking out loud with each shot.
Harimoto expressed his enthusiasm, saying, ``My goal at the World Championships is to win two consecutive medals and win all the individual championships.I want to show that I am aggressive both in my play and in my heart.''