On February 26, the World Table Tennis Championships in Busan came to an end, and the Japanese table tennis team held a press conference after returning to China to summarize the results and experience of this competition. Despite failing to win gold, they managed to qualify for the men's and women's teams at Paris 2024, with the women's team finishing second. At this press conference, the coaches and players expressed their views and insights.
Coach Kunishi Tasa said that although the men's team failed to win a medal, this competition was a valuable experience for them. He believes he may have made mistakes in the draw, but he also saw the team's excellent performance in qualifying, especially the victory over Chinese Taipei. He cherished the right to enter the Paris Olympics and said that he would learn from the defeat and try to improve his strength.
Tomokazu Zhang and other team members also expressed their own feelings. Tomokazu Changmoto referred to the victory against Taiwan, while also recognizing the slight gap with the medals. Shinozuka admitted that he had learned a lesson from self-confidence and regret in the competition, and said that he would incorporate these experiences into future competitions. Team members such as Teruku Matsushima, Hayasuke Togami and Yutai Tanaka also expressed their expectations and efforts for the future.
Coach Watanabe expressed his satisfaction with the performance of the women's team in this competition, especially the qualification ticket to the Paris Olympics and the final. She highlighted the challenges ahead, believing that the team needs to work harder to cope with the strong Chinese team. The women's team players also shared their experiences and feelings, showing their determination and confidence in the future.
Looking back on this press conference, we can see the positive attitude of the Japanese table tennis team towards the results of the competition and their confidence in the future. Although they failed to win the gold medal, they showed admirable fighting spirit and team cohesion in the competition. In the face of strong pressure from the Chinese team, the Japanese team also knew that they still had room for improvement in terms of technique and mentality.
From Zhang Benzhihe's words, we see the understanding of the gap in strength, and this sober attitude will become the driving force for them to strive for progress. The performance of the women's team also proves their strength and competitiveness in the world table tennis arena.
In the future, as the Olympic Games approach, the Japanese team will further adjust their training to make up for their shortcomings and strive for better results. They will learn from this competition and continue to refine their skills and tactics to achieve success at the Paris Olympics. This press conference also pointed out the direction for the future development of the Japanese table tennis team, so let's wait and see how well they can perform at the Olympics.