【Text/Observer Network Ju Feng】
"Ugly. Big. Snake spirit. arrogant. Mouth hard. The expression is crazy. Tragic childhood. Hades education..." With the tokyo Olympics coming to an end, these criticisms of the Japanese women's team's number one single, Ito Mimachi, gradually receded.
Ito and Hayabusa Mizutani defeated China's Liu Shiwen/Xu Xin in the mixed doubles final of the Olympic table tennis event. Ito's performance on the field sparked controversy. Chinese the boredom of her in the field of online public opinion quickly fermented.
Ito emptied and closed his Weibo account
Until the women's singles semifinals, Chinese youngster Sun Yingsha "cried" Ito 4-0, and netizens called out to be happy. On the evening of the 5th, the second game of the women's table tennis team final, "Shaqi Vine" was staged again. Seeing her 1-3 defeat and embarrassment, netizens were happy. "Sun Yingsha violent buckle" Ito Mimachi rushed to the hot search.
Ito Mimachi is most complained about in domestic public opinion is that the serve is like a "way". Some people say that her gestures are like the snake spirit in "Huluwa". Outside the arena, various media have rendered her "brainwashing education" since she was a child, coupled with the netizens' carnival of terriers, and her topic has soared. The difficulty of peace after the mixed doubles final makes the duel between Sun Yingsha and Ito Mimachi carry a kind of expectation of "demon removal", and the plot of the national table tennis "borrowing to avenge" also makes people's blood boil.
Just don't like Ito, can you? Of course, everyone has emotional freedom. But how big is the gap between Ito's current public opinion image and herself? Without understanding this, we will never be able to understand what kind of Ito Mimako defeated the Chinese women's table tennis. What a threat to the future.
Is Sun Yingsha winning a "strong mouth king"? No.
Before the ping-pong women's team competition begins. There are reports on the Internet that Ito said that he "only played 20% or 30% of the level" and "if you played your best, you can beat the Chinese players". There are also some self-media, plus V Weibo claim that "Ito Mimachi threatened to take revenge in the team match".
Such a message has created an image for Ito Mimachi who "can't afford to lose and makes excuses". ? How many pounds and two ah? They all wanted to see Ito's face "swollen."
But in fact, Ito's exact words in the interview are not like this.
According to the official website of the Nippon Sports Newspaper (スポーツニッポン) official website Sponichi Annex reported on July 29 that Ito, who won the bronze medal in the Olympic women's singles, responded to the loss to Sun Yingsha, saying, "The complete failure to catch the ball is the reason for the failure." The quality of Sun Player's serve is quite high. Although she knew (what ball she was sending), she did not do a good job of returning the ball, which was the reason for the failure. The brain is spinning, but [the body] isn't doing it. ”
"Even if you lose, you want to play your full strength." It's hard not to be able to do that. At this point, Ito Mimachi's eyes welled up with tears.
Ito then said, "If you exert all your strength, it is not invincible." ”
"However, when the full strength is not played, the gap in strength is revealed. (でも、全てを出し切れないときに実力差は出てしまう)"Ito emphasizes that Chinese players are superior to themselves in terms of strength, resulting in the inability to take full advantage of their competitive level.
She gave the example of the mixed doubles two days ago, saying, "Didn't the mixed doubles (Mizutani) Falcon also say that if you don't play 120% of your strength, you can't win?" [The opponent is] a player who can't beat without 100% strength. On the playing field, how much strength to play is very critical. Today [played] about 20% to 30% of the strength - the semi-finals, too the 3/4 places. ”
In addition, Ito did not say anything like revenge.
By the way, in the women's team final on August 5, Ito Lost 1-3 to Sun Yingsha again. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the same day, Ito said after the game, "Although I was very reluctant, I had a good time (in the game). ”
Ito Mimachi interview transcript Screenshot from Japanese media
Yoshinori Ito was not happy in childhood? "Hades education?"
"Of course I'm happy [getting the bronze medal], but I want to beat the Chinese players to get the medals. Except for the gold medal, the results are basically the same. Ito said after the women's singles ended. Ito's goal has always been to beat the Chinese players.
After the women's singles and women's group Ito lost twice in a row, many Chinese netizens played the terrier "Thinking of my mother's words at night, the person who won you is called Sun Yingsha." There are also many Ito memes circulating on Weibo and WeChat. However, there is no basis for saying that Ito had an unfortunate childhood and was taught by his mother to have a deformed mentality.
After the Ito/Mizutani Hayabusa mixed doubles won the gold medal, ito Ando and his mother Ito Minari (tentative translation, Japanese original name: Ito Mino り) were long ago edited and disseminated on the variety show.
Mimako Ito bluntly said on the show that mom is "like the devil." And the mother also revealed her own parenting "secret recipe". She would say in Ito's ear during her sleep, "You're the only one who can beat the Chinese team." ”
Ito's mom demonstrates to the host how to "hypnotize"
These are all said by Ito's mother and daughter themselves. But this is in a variety show, not a news report. Objectivity and authenticity are the lifeblood of news, but Japanese variety shows pay great attention to "whether the conversation is interesting or not." In other words, there must be a program effect.
Hayabusa Mizutani always stressed that he didn't like to wear underwear, and every time on the show, he had to be checked by the host to see if he was wearing it today. Another Japanese male singles player, Takashi Niwa, is well known for his crazy obsession with a female idol group, and even "slipped" to see their concerts halfway through the festival.
Hayabusa Mizutani attends the show and emphasizes that he does not wear underwear
The widely disseminated video was from a program broadcast by Hokkaido Television (Hokkaido テレビ) on the eve of the Rio Olympics in June 2016, a special edition of Ito. In April of that year, the 15-year-old Ito defeated Ding Ning, the recognized "queen of snooker" in Japan, 4-2 in the Olympic qualifiers, so it was considered to be a hope of winning gold.
"Mom is very strict, I don't want to think of her as a mother, but want to call her 'devil.'" Ito said on the show.
In addition to revealing the training method of "light sleep 'brainwashing'", Ito Minori also told a more exaggerated story.
Minori introduced that when she was still pregnant with Ito, she watched the world's competition highlights every day. At the same time, she made a curved "microphone" out of a toilet paper core. While watching the game, I explained it honestly with Itomi in my belly. Implement "snooker prenatal education".
"If it was a mother, it would be like this, oh, how would you play it?" Menari claimed to be communicating with the child in his belly in this way.
After the host relayed the incident to Ito, she couldn't stop laughing. "Interesting. This kind of thing is really rare. Ito said.
In fact, single mother Ito Minori treats her daughter more than just strictly. Since Ito was two years old, she has been meticulous to Ito in training and life, and has dedicated herself to Ito's table tennis career. She can be said to be the behind-the-scenes hero of Ito's winning 3 medals on his doorstep.
The relationship between Ito and his mother can be seen in the mainstream Japanese media.
The Asahi Shimbun reported on July 24, 2016, that Ito's practice partner was his mother, Minari. Until he graduated from elementary school, Ito practiced for 7 hours a day, and his mother fed hundreds of balls a day. If Ito cried, leave her out the door. "Both people are people who don't accept defeat, and if they can't accept it, they will get up late at night and practice together."
According to reports, Minari did not want to train her daughter to be a "robot", but instead developed the habit of thinking. Ito's basic principle is also "independent thinking". Even in front of his seniors, Ito would say without hesitation, "I want to practice like this." In terms of playing, Ito did not follow his mother's instructions exactly. She herself once said, "With the growth of the body, there is a suitable way to swing." ”
Ito practiced serving
Miki Ito Minori Ito 2015
Another national newspaper, the Mainichi Shimbun, reported on July 29, 2021, that when Ito was almost two years old and 3 years old, Minaru once sent a ball to the table as a ball, and Ito returned a good ball. When her daughter herself said she wanted to practice table tennis, Mineri said to her daughter, "If you want to do it, you must aim for the first place in the world." Then he began strict special training for more than 7 hours a day, often until late at night.
Through harsh practice, the mother-daughter duo reportedly "built a relationship of trust without talking." When Ito was in elementary school, her parents divorced, and her mother explained everything to her. Although life was very difficult, for the cost of Ito's training abroad (Note: Minori heard that there were very good child coaches in China at that time), Minari worked three jobs at the same time, all for Ito Mimachi. "And the mother's mind, Ito is also very clear."
In 2016, Ito told the media with a smile, "My mom poured love into me, but she is a devil." Therefore, no matter how harsh others are on me, I feel nothing. "I tried many times to rush to the opposite side of the table to hug Mimako, but I resisted the urge." However, I hope to help my daughter design a life centered on table tennis. To that end, I want to train her to be a 'monster-like' player who makes it completely unpredictable for her opponents to return the ball. ”
In middle school, Minori hired Ito as his own coach. Since then, whenever there has been an international competition, Minori must give Advice and guidance to Ito, and is also responsible for taking care of Ito's diet and living, bringing her own rice cooker, rice, and making her Ito's favorite food such as rice balls. In order for Ito to drink hot miso soup, Minori made it on the spot in the stadium.
When practicing with Chinese players, Ito Will also take the initiative to share the rice balls made by her mother to Chen Meng, Ma Lin and others. Ito can only Chinese a little, but with the help of translators and a little English, he can communicate a few words with Chinese players, such as favorite food. Marlene ate rice balls and jokingly said to Ito, "It's all rice, no vegetables!" ”
The next day, Ito brought meat rice balls to Sun Yingsha again. Ito said that yesterday Marlene and Chen Meng said that the rice balls tasted light, so today they added more seasonings and specially added beef into it.
In the Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK) documentary "Ito Mimachi, China's Journey to Rebirth", which aired in July this year, Sun Yingsha and Ito Mimachi have a mutual evaluation of each other's "old enemies".
Sun Yingsha said, "Ito's current strength is very strong. Our age is also similar, basically the same age. So I think we'll play this kind of game together for many years. ”
Ito said, "Once Sun Decided on his own style of play, he would stick to it completely. She was a bold and fearless person. She is a person who follows her own way of table tennis. ”
At the Olympic Games, from the mixed doubles final on July 26 to the women's team final on August 6, Ito won three medals. However, in the process, the echoes between the media of the two countries were repeatedly stirred, carrying some false information, which increased the intensity of public opinion.
For example, after the defeat of Ito Mimachi, some Chinese self-media ridiculed the title of "Great Devil" given to her by the Japanese media. However, after investigation by the Observer Network, this title was first derived from the Chinese media. In November 2018, the Global Times published an article titled "Beware! The Japanese women's table tennis surprised the "Big Devil" report, introducing only 18-year-old Ito Mimako played a stunning role at the Swedish Open, defeating Liu Shiwen and other 4 Chinese national table tennis players in succession.
For example, on July 29, many domestic media, no lack of mainstream media reported that "the Japanese media boasted that mizutani falcons gathered Gold, silver and bronze in the Olympic Games, and this achievement Chinese no one can achieve." The angle is clear. ”
However, after the observer network verified, the Japanese media "Billiard Kingdom" reported that Mizutani Hayabusa was the first table tennis player in history to win the Olympic singles, team and mixed doubles medals. Since these three medals happen to be gold, silver and bronze, they are mentioned in the report. Liu Shiwen/Xu Xin, who won the silver in the mixed doubles, did not participate in the Olympic singles, so the Japanese media chose this angle to report.
After Ito's single loss, some people on Chinese social networks also created false news that Ito Mimachi "tweeted that China is a victory by any means", which triggered a lot of angry voices. Later, after debunking the rumor, this tweet was not sent by Ito himself. However, this type of news was widely circulated, reflecting the image expectations of some Chinese netizens for Ito at that time.
The Olympics ended, and the controversy surrounding Ito gradually cooled down. But this 20-year-old girl carries the ambitions of Japan's table tennis after the "broken wrist" revolution and represents the future of Japanese women's table tennis. She is the same age as Sun Yingsha, and her birthday is only a dozen days away. Ito has been, and remains, the toughest opponent for Chinese girls for the past 5 years and at least for the next 10 years. In the arena of Paris, it is likely to see Ito Ando and Sun Yingsha once again dueling.