In a recent interview, former Japanese table tennis world champion Kasumi Ishikawa was asked a challenging question by the Japanese media: "How to overthrow the Chinese team to win the championship?" This question is obviously a trap to try to stir up the storm before the upcoming Paris Olympics. However, Ishikawa's answer shows her cleverness and caution, perfectly steering away from this politically sensitive issue.
In the international table tennis arena, Chinese women's table tennis has always been in the leading position, led by top players such as Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng, Wang Manyu and Wang Yidi. Despite this, in recent years, table tennis associations in other countries and regions have also made unremitting efforts to gradually narrow the gap with the Chinese team, among which the Japanese team is a typical example. Kasumi Ishikawa pointed out in an interview that although the gap between the Japanese team and the Chinese women's table tennis team is gradually narrowing, it is still very difficult to win the competition.
Kasumi Ishikawa emphasised the importance of teamwork and cited her own partnership with Miu Hirano at the Tokyo Olympics as an example of the key role of doubles in the team event. She urged young Japanese athletes Miu Hirano and Miwa Haramoto to step up their training and improve their chemistry in competition in hopes of making a breakthrough at the Olympics.
Her answers not only show respect and appreciation for her opponents, but also demonstrate her emotionally intelligent communication skills, allowing her to not offend any side and point out a clear direction for her own team. This kind of answer, which is not overly hyped up and confrontational, but also expresses competitive intent and team spirit, shows that Kasumi Ishikawa has a superb art not only in his skills, but also in his words.
This interview is yet another testament to the influence and responsibility of the media, and how top athletes handle sensitive topics with wisdom and skill on the global stage. Ishikawa's performance undoubtedly added more anticipation to the upcoming Olympics and gave table tennis fans a deeper appreciation of the Japanese star's charisma and professionalism.