Little Miwa adding to the Harimoto aura

CHENNAI: Following in the footsteps of her elder brother Tomokazu Harimoto, Miwa Harimoto is aiming to make it big in table tennis. Tomokazu, a child prodigy, defeated several high-ranked players in his teenage years and went on to secure many accolades.

Miwa, too, has charted her path and is heading in the right direction. The 16-year-old Miwa was drafted into the powerful Japanese women’s team, which went on to win silver at the Paris Olympics.

Although Miwa finished fourth in the selections for the Olympics, she was picked over the experienced Mima Ito, who finished third and had won multiple medals at the Tokyo Olympics. Miwa’s selection was a surprise to many, but Takehiro Watanabe, selector of the women’s team, was clear. “I have never seen a 15-year-old play like that, and she has a lot of potential,” Takehiro had said.

Miwa justified her selection by winning three of her four singles matches. Her only loss came against Wang Man Yu in the final, after her team was trailing 0-2 against China. “It was a wonderful experience. My seniors were very helpful and I received the right guidance from them,” Miwa said.

Hailing from a table tennis family, Tomokazu and Miwa have the game in their genes. “I am grateful to my parents. It is because of them that I took up the sport. I have seen my brother play table tennis from a young age. In my family, my brother is the best. I will do my best to reach that level as soon as possible,” Miwa said after winning the mixed doubles first-round encounter at the WTT Star Contender here on Thursday.

The level at which she played the mixed doubles match with Sora Matsushima showcases the talent she has. The third-seeded pair had no trouble against Manika Batra and Manav Thakkar, defeating the local hope 11-9, 11-2, 11-8.

While Japan have three players in the top-10, China continues to dominate in the rankings and at major events. However, the Japan women’s team went all out to beat their rivals, China, and won gold at the Asian Table Tennis Championships for the first time in 50 years. When asked about the rivalry with China, Miwa politely said that: “We need to improve our skills and then we will do better than what we are now.”


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