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Post by Admin on Aug 18, 2016 2:25:56 GMT
 Japan's 15-year-old Mima Ito won the game that secured her country a women's team bronze medal, triggering an emotional reaction from her team mate on Tuesday.  The world number nine defeated Feng Tianwei in the fourth singles to complete the 3-1 win. As the winning ball was struck, Ito's team mate Ai Fukuhara started crying, before the trio, which included Kasumi Ishikawa, waved and bowed to a boisterous crowd, the majority of whom had cheered them on. In the doubles, "Kasumi did a very good job and she got one point, but in my opinion it was worth five points...That gave us energy to carry on," said Ai, who lost out narrowly on an individual medal to North Korea's Song I KimXiaoxia Li. "I couldn't get the medal in the individual so this time I really committed myself to getting the medal and then going back to Japan," she said.  Singapore's Feng, the world number four, said her team mates Yu Mengyu and Zhou Yihan played very well, but she was not satisfied with her own performance.  "I didn't adjust to the match very well," she said. "I allowed myself to be stifled by the opponent, so I felt very gloomy on court," she said.  |
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Post by Admin on Aug 22, 2016 2:00:47 GMT
At 15 years and 300 days, Mima Ito of Japan became the youngest ever Olympic table tennis medallist when picking up women's team bronze at the 2016 Rio Games on Tuesday.  The Japanese teen takes over the honour from China's Guo Yue who was 16 years, one month and three days old when she won doubles bronze at Athens in 2004.  Ito linked up with Ai Fukuhara and Kasumi Ishikawa to defeat Singapore 3-1 for third place. After securing two of Japan's two points Ito said:  "I am just happy to win the medal. I am looking forward to getting home and showing my medal to my family and supporters."  |
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Post by Admin on Sept 4, 2016 0:54:43 GMT
A Japan table tennis star has been forced to roll up her sleeves and play plumber when her toilet broke at the trouble-hit Rio Olympic village.  Blocked toilets, leaky pipes and exposed wiring have prompted concern at the athletes village in Rio with some teams even choosing to rent apartments in the city.  So when Ai Fukuhara, 27, famed for her stroppy outbursts while competing as a young competitor, noticed the overflowing toilet at her village apartment she decided to fix the faulty cistern herself.  'The part in the tank that takes in water came off and was floating. I figured that was the problem. It might happen again when I am not there, so I left instructions to the rest of the team.'  Junior team mate Mima, 15, Ito said she was impressed by Fukuhara skills adding: 'She was just like a plumber.'  |
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Post by Admin on Jun 10, 2017 19:55:52 GMT
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Post by Admin on May 5, 2018 19:16:38 GMT
Defeating Japan 3-1, defending champions China claimed their fourth consecutive title at women's final of the 2018 World Team Table Tennis Championships here on Saturday.  China's top ranked players Ding Ning, Liu Shiwen and Zhu Yuling won three games in a row, after Liu lost the opening set to Ito Mima. Battling with 17-year-old Ito through five games, Liu lost by 2-3 eventually.  World No.2 Zhu routed Japan's captain Ishikawa Kasumi 11-4, 11-7, 11-8. Without being influenced by the first defeat, veteran Ding equalised the match for China, beating Hirano Miu 11-6, 12-10, 13-11. |
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