SINGAPORE – Japanese table tennis player Tomokazu Harimoto celebrates every winner as if it is his last, unleashing thunderous roars even when he is trailing.
The 19-year-old told The Straits Times that it helps him relax.
All that shouting helped the world No. 4 get past fellow junior world champion Xiang Peng 3-2 (11-6, 8-11, 13-11, 9-11, 11-8) in the first round of the Singapore Smash on Sunday.
But the teenager knows he will need much more than yelling to achieve his goal of winning gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, hopes were high that Japan could launch a strong challenge against the powerhouses with Harimoto and women’s singles player Mima Ito, 22, seen as the main contenders.
In 2018, Harimoto became the youngest player to win the International Table Tennis Federation World Tour Grand Finals at 15 years and 172 days.
He is also the youngest men’s singles winner on the ITTF World Tour.
Ito has 13 singles titles and multiple medals at the Olympics and world championships.
But that proved to be a false dawn as China still swept all the golds in Tokyo, except the mixed doubles title, which was claimed by Ito and Jun Mizutani.
Harimoto, 19, said: “China is still at the forefront and it’s very hard to challenge them in major competitions.
“Their foundation is very solid without many gaps and they have no weaknesses. Their mental strength when it comes down to the wire, the last one or two points, is very good.”
That mental strength is an area in which Harimoto feels he lags behind his Chinese opponents.
Ahead of May’s world championships and Paris 2024, the Japanese are preparing to take another stab at toppling China’s dominance, but Harimoto and compatriot Hina Hayata admitted that it would be an uphill task.
Besides Ito and Hayata (sixth), Japan also has Kasumi Ishikawa (eighth) in the women’s top 10, followed by teenager Miyuu Kihara (17th) and world No. 21 Miu Hirano, who was part of the team that won silver in Tokyo.
Hayata, 22, who hopes to qualify for Paris 2024, said: “At this stage, I still feel it is very tough (to beat them). I have to find a way to play to my strengths to make myself more intimidating to China.
“It is also important for me to (work on) the finer details and ensure I’m consistent.”
She also noted that the Chinese practise with each other on a regular basis, but there are few players of such quality in Japan.
“Chinese players have their own unique form and they play to their individual strengths, so it’s difficult to find a single technique that breaks all Chinese players.
“The bar is raised when you have to break each opponent differently and you can do that only with more practice.”
Harimoto added that while the possibility of beating China in Paris is “not very big”, it is not entirely impossible.
He said: “If we play at 100 per cent every match, there’s a bit of hope. The most crucial factor is to dare to go all out against them in important games.
“Our skills are not that far off, it boils down to our mindset and emotions. The Chinese team have won a lot, and they know how to finish...
“We might not know how to tie up a match, so we have to condition ourselves; daring to beat them is very crucial.”
