If you want to ask who is the Japanese table tennis player that Chinese fans are most familiar with, then it may be Ai Fukuhara, and now it is estimated that it is Ito Mimachi.
As the best athlete in the Japanese table tennis world in recent years, Ito has defeated the main player of the national table tennis world champion in international competitions many times, and he also won the gold medal of the Olympic Games. However, unlike the rave reviews of his predecessors, Ito has a lot of negative comments in the mouths of Chinese fans, which is completely different from his predecessors.
So what does Ito think of it himself? After the Tokyo Olympics, she said bluntly: "Thank you to the Chinese audience for noticing me." But my name is Ito Mimachi, and I am who I am. Obviously, Ai Fukuhara and Mimakoto Ito are indeed different, even if their life starting points are so similar, but in the end they embarked on a completely different development path, which is very emotional.
Ofukuhara loves chiyo Fukuhara with his mother
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="5" >, a similar starting point in life</h1>
Ito and Ai Fukuhara originally had a lot in common – both of them were, or had been, leaders in the Japanese table tennis scene, had come to China to learn their skills, both had a mother who wanted to become a phoenix, and even had similarities in the marriage relationship between the two parents:
Ito's parents divorced when she was 2 years old, and Ai Fukuhara's parents were separated for many years and later divorced. What is even more lamentable is that when Fukuhara Ai's father died in 2013, his daughter did not even see him for the last time, and the estrangement between father and daughter and husband and wife was quite serious, almost completely severe.
Therefore, many people believe that it is precisely because of the unfortunate growth experience that Ai Fukuhara and Ito Mimachi have exercised their extraordinary courage, which has been able to rise in the table tennis world, and finally both grew into a generation of Famous Players in Japan.
Little Ito and mother Ito Minelli
However, similar life starting points did not create two identical lives, and Ai Fukuhara and Mimachi Ito eventually grew up to become two completely different table tennis players.
When playing small, Fukuhara Ai showed a pure and lovely girlish temperament, according to the early video we can know, Xiao Ai will be tired when practicing balls, in the face of her mother's "devil training" she can only wash her face with tears, while crying while not forgetting to pick up the racket to practice, the scene makes people can't help but look at the ninja.
Perhaps since then, the image of Ai Fukuhara has been predestined: people are more willing to watch her cry and laugh with her than to her skills - this is a temperament that can go out of the circle. In other words, Ai Fukuhara does not necessarily have to rely on grades to prove herself, of course, it is better to have grades.
Ai Fukuhara wiped her tears while playing ball
Compared to Fukuhara's mother, Chiyo Fukuhara, Ito's mother, Ito Minari, was even more ruthless, and she not only demanded that her daughter be able to become a woman, but also made even more incredible demands, that is, she hoped that she could defeat the world's strongest Chinese player, so much so that Ito Recalled: "I heard her say this in my dream!" ”
It turns out that Ito's mother's "brainwashing" succeeded — in a later discovered Ito Elementary School essay, we saw her write the following words: "Winning the 2020 Olympic Games, including team and individual victories." ”
If in terms of career goals, Ito's initial positioning is different from Ai Fukuhara, and she has no intention of being a national idol, at least in the first half of her life, her only goal is to win and gold!
Ito's elementary school essay is really ambitious
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="30" > two, different life trajectories</h1>
Later stories, everyone knows.
Ai Fukuhara was beaten and cried by the national table tennis, not once or twice, but his fame was getting bigger and bigger. And what is even more incredible is that Fukuhara's popularity in China is even higher than that in Japan, so that when she divorced her Chinese husband Jiang Hongjie, the encouragement from China would be even more, and even she herself felt incredible, saying bluntly:
"To be honest, I really didn't expect my Chinese friends and fans to support me so much. I was really miserable at that time, but Chinese really supported me all the time, and I accepted me no matter what. I may have said it a little too heavily, but I can live to this day, and it is really Chinese support me like this. Really appreciated them. ”
Fukuhara loves and ex-husband Jiang Hongjie
On the other hand, Ito Mimachi, Chinese fans' evaluation of her has always been based on the negative, all kinds of ridicule, spoof, sarcasm, and even insulting words and pictures flooded the Internet, for which Ito Mimachi is also very calm, blunt and does not mind, as long as more people can pay attention to table tennis, so that Japan and China can inspire each other and make progress together, it is a good thing.
After all, what Ito wants most is the highest podium in the Olympic Games and other competitions, and everything else is probably a floating cloud for her.
And she finally came true to her dream.
Ito's portrait with Mizutani Hayabusa as a child
In fact, Ai Fukuhara's performance is not bad, just debuted in 2003 to reach the quarterfinals of the World Table Tennis Championships, and has been one of the top masters of the foreign association since then. But obviously, if it is standing with Ito Mimachi, who has defeated Ding Ning, Liu Shiwen, Zhu Yuling, Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, Chen Xingtong, Wu Yang and other national table tennis world champions, and won the Olympic gold medal, Xiao Ai will definitely be incomparable.
Ito is Ito, and when she was a child and was held by Mizutani Hayabusa, she was already doomed not to become a second Fukuhara love.
And more importantly – she didn't want to be Ai Fukuhara either.