China News Service, Beijing, February 9 (Reporter Xing Rui) Recently, the Japan Table Tennis Association announced the final list of participants for the Paris Olympics. The Tokyo Olympics mixed doubles champion Mima Ito was not selected.
Screenshot of Japan Table Tennis Association official website
As for the women's team, Hina Hayata and Miu Hirano had previously qualified for the Paris Olympics in singles, and Miwa Harimoto, who was only 15 years old, eventually became the third member of the team. As for the men's team, in addition to Tomokazu Harimoto and Hayasuke Togami, 20-year-old Oto Shinozuka became the last member of the men's team. In the mixed doubles, Harimoto will partner with Hina Hayata.
Regarding the selection of Miwa Harimoto, Japanese women's table tennis head coach Takehiro Watanabe said: "She is very active in singles and doubles." In last year's international competition, Takehiro Watanabe inspected Miwa Harimoto from multiple dimensions. After experience in competitions, Takehiro Watanabe believes that Miwa Harimoto is the most suitable candidate to participate in the Paris Olympics.
Watanabe Takehiro also revealed that it was difficult to make such a decision: "I have considered it carefully. Ito is an Olympic champion and she is also an outstanding person."
Mima Ito in the game. (Information photo taken by Anyuan)
As Takehiro Watanabe said, Mima Ito was once the well-deserved number one female table tennis player in Japan. Under the age of 24, she was called a "genius girl" when she debuted, and was once considered the biggest competitor in national table tennis.
As early as the age of 13, Mima Ito had already won the women's doubles championship on the ITTF Tour. Just a year later, she shined again in the women's singles event.
At her peak, Mima Ito defeated many famous national table tennis players such as Liu Shiwen and Ding Ning. At the Tokyo Olympics, she partnered with Mizutani Hayabusa to win the mixed doubles championship and won Japan's first Olympic gold medal in table tennis.
This moment became the highlight of Mima Ito's career. After that, her competitive status continued to decline. Not only did she lose to national table tennis players in various international competitions, but when she returned to Japan, she encountered the impact of many young players.
Mima Ito in the game. (Information photo taken by Anyuan)
In the 2022 Lion Cup Top 32, Mima Ito lost to Miyu Nagasaki, who was born in 2002. Immediately after the Asian Games trials, she lost to Miyu Kihara and lost the women's singles qualification for the Hangzhou Asian Games. In the women's singles competition of last year's Japan Table Tennis Championships, Mima Ito unexpectedly lost to high school student Sakura Yokoi and missed the quarterfinals.
After being reversed by Kasumi Kimura in the championships last month, Mima Ito finally missed the singles competition at the Paris Olympics.
The famous national table tennis player Zhang Yining, known as the "Big Devil", once commented on Mima Ito: "It will not pose a great threat to the national table tennis team." Now it seems that Zhang Yining's prediction has come true.
Miwa Harimoto (right) and Miyu Kihara hug and celebrate after the game. (File photo taken by China News Service reporter Jiang Qiming)
However, although there is less pressure from Mima Ito, the rise of Miwa Harimoto is also a big challenge for the national table tennis women's team.
Miwa Harimoto is Tomokazu Harimoto's sister. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, she represented the Japanese team in the women's team competition, defeating South Korean star Seo Hyo-won 3:0 in the semifinals, and eventually won the runner-up in the women's team with the team. In the women's doubles, Zhang motomei and her partner Miyu Kihara upset the national table tennis team Sun Yingsha/Wang Manyu and won a bronze medal.
At a young age, Miwa Harimoto has already shown her strength and talent in the international table tennis world. In the Paris Olympics, whether she can become the biggest opponent for the national table tennis championship is full of suspense. (over)