The Paper's reporter Hu Jie
Ai Fukuhara.
"Even Chen Meng, who won the Olympic gold medal, lost to this World Table Tennis Championships, and the number and strength of the Chinese team are too thick." Ai Fukuhara sighed about the performance of the Chinese team at this World Table Tennis Championships.
From table tennis commentary, to university professors, to directors of the Japanese Table Tennis T League team, as a witness to the rise of Japanese table tennis, Ai Fukuhara still revolves around table tennis after retiring.
Recently, in a video interview with China News Agency, Ai Fukuhara stressed that since winning the Olympic mixed doubles gold medal, the Japanese team has always wanted to win the championship again, but whenever it feels like catching up with the Chinese team, there is always a feeling of being kicked away.
Ai Fukuhara holds up a magazine printed with Yoshijun Ishikawa.
"There is a feeling that the heart is torn apart"
2 silver and 1 bronze, this is the report card handed over by the Japanese team in this World Table Tennis Championships. Compared with the previous goals of Ito and the Japan Table Tennis Association, the Japanese team in this World Table Tennis Championships did not perform well.
Three of the medals came from doubles combinations, and the singles match ended dismal - the No. 2 seed Zhang Benzhihe was eliminated on his debut, and the men's singles was all out at the end of the three rounds; the Japanese women's singles team met the national table tennis players one after another, and no one broke through successfully, leaving Ito Mimachi with tears in his eyes, "I don't know what I'm playing." ”
In fact, the Sino-Japanese showdown has always been the most eye-catching topic in the world table tennis world in recent years, and Ai Fukuhara also said: "After winning the Olympic mixed doubles gold medal, the Japanese team has always wanted to win the championship again, and this World Table Tennis Championships is also prepared a lot, and the pressure on the body is also very large." ”
Although the elements of the China-Japan showdown in this World Table Tennis Championships were not presented in the singles competition, the doubles competition was quite fierce.
In the mixed doubles final, the duel between Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha and Zhang Benzhihe/Hayata Xina, the mixed doubles partners of the two groups of "post-00s" can be called the main competitors of the Paris Olympic cycle; the women's doubles Ito Mimachi / Hayata Xina eliminated Chen Meng/Qian Tianyi in the semi-finals, and lost to Wang Manyu/Sun Yingsha in the final.
The doubles competition tests the overall strength of the team, and being able to win medals in all three doubles matches is enough to prove that the overall strength of the Japanese team is not bad.
Zhang Benzhi and /Hayata Xina were defeated by Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha.
However, in the words of Ai Fukuhara, the Sino-Japanese duel is more of a pull on the spirit, "Sometimes I feel that my strength is getting closer and closer, and sometimes I feel that I am kicked away." For example, if I win Ding Ning this time, and the next time I will be studied, I feel that my heart is torn apart. ”
In fact, today's Ito Mimachi is experiencing a similar situation to Ai Fukuhara.
At this World Table Tennis Championships, there are only 11 national table tennis players, but the team that arrives in Houston is close to 50 people. Before the national table tennis expedition, men's table tennis coach Qin Zhijian once revealed: "Our nearly 50-person preparation team is relatively large, whether it is the player equipment that simulates the opponent's playing style or the auxiliary logistics support, it is the best." ”
This is also why in singles matches, it is difficult for Toshimashimachi Ito to take advantage of it today. Faced with such a situation, Ai Fukuhara can only inspire the younger generation, "We must continue to work hard and cannot give up." ”
Mimachi Ito / Hina Hayata won silver in women's doubles.
The Chinese team is too strong, but the world is also improving
In addition to paying attention to the Sino-Japanese showdown, Ai Fukuhara is also quite concerned about the pattern of world table tennis.
In her view, the strength of the Chinese team is obvious to all, "This time Ma Long, Xu Xin, liu Shiwen did not participate in the World Table Tennis Championships, and the Chinese team is in the stage of alternating the old and the new." But even Chen Meng, who won the Olympic gold medal, lost, and it can be seen from the results that the number and strength of the Chinese team are too deep. ”
At the same time, she also paid attention to the fact that the world's table tennis is developing, and the Japanese team should be more fully prepared, "Now we can't just stare at the Chinese team, the Japanese players will tighten up from the first game." ”
As Ai Fukuhara said, this World Table Tennis Championships has made a lot of history - Nigerian men's singles player Aruna appeared in the World Table Tennis Championships with a green racket, and he became the first African player to reach the quarterfinals of the World Table Tennis Championships.
American Karnak Jaha also made history, becoming the first American player to advance to the quarterfinals of the World Table Tennis Championships since 1959. Brazil's Hugo Calderano also became the first Brazilian player to reach the quarter-finals of the World Table Tennis Championships.
"The whole world table tennis level has come up, which is a good thing for table tennis, more and more people play table tennis, the audience is happy to watch, and it is fun to watch."
Editor-in-Charge: Ascendas