Para table tennis Kazuki Nanano wins back-to-back championships in wheelchair class

The tournament, where Japan's top para table tennis players compete to be the best in Japan, has begun, and in the men's singles wheelchair class, Kazuki Nanano, ranked 5th in the world, won the championship for the second time in a row.

The All Japan Open Para Table Tennis Championships, which began on the 16th, will be held in Kobe for two days until the 17th, with competitors competing to be the best in Japan in the standing and wheelchair classes.

A singles match was held on the 16th, and in the final of the men's wheelchair class, Nanano, a 25-year-old ranked fifth in the world and aiming to participate in the Paris Paralympics, overwhelmed his opponent with his signature powerful forehand and won two games in a row. did.

After that, they suffered from their opponent's shots and lost two games, but won the rally in the fifth and final game, winning the tournament for a consecutive time with a game count of 3-2.

Nanano said, ``The fact that I was able to play with great tenacity led to the victory.I want to secure a spot in the Paris Paralympic Games and do my best to perform well in this tournament.''

In addition, in the final of the women's wheelchair class, 76-year-old Kimie Bessho, who had participated in four consecutive tournaments up until the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, won the game count 3-1 with a variety of serves and skillful shots that hit the course. We won the championship for the first time.

Since Bessho first won this tournament in 2005, she has won this tournament every year except for three years until 2022, when her individual competition was canceled due to the coronavirus.

Bessho said, ``There have been various accidents over the past few years, but today I am here because I have pushed through without giving up, so I'm glad I didn't give up.Winning is important, but I also think it's important to have the will to take on a challenge, so I've been training harder than everyone else.'' "I want to work hard and become even stronger," he said enthusiastically.

In addition, in the standing class, Hayama Abe won the boys' championship, and Keiko Matsushima won the girls' championship.