With the Paris 2024 Olympics just around the corner, the Japanese table tennis team faces a dilemma about who should choose as the "third person" of the women's team. At the moment, Mimato Ito and Miwa Haramoto are the two most likely players to get that chance. According to the Japanese women's table tennis standings, Misei Ito is ranked third, and Miwa Haramoto is ranked fourth. Although Ito has traditionally been prioritized, she is now a bit of a laggard.
First of all, in terms of record, although Ito Misei has defeated the main force of national table tennis many times, he has been defeated repeatedly in recent years. In contrast, although Zhang Benmeihe has not yet defeated the main force of the Chinese team, due to her young age, her technical style of play has not yet been finalized, and there may be new improvements in every game, and it is more difficult for the national table tennis to prepare for her. Secondly, in terms of playing style, Misei Ito is a raw rubber fast-attacking athlete who is easy to be studied thoroughly by opponents, while Miwa Zhangmoto's two-sided anti-rubber play is more comprehensive.
Of course, Misei Ito also has obvious advantages over Miwa Zhangmoto, one is the point lead, and the other is more experienced. Ito had won a gold medal against the Chinese team at the Olympics, and despite being a mixed doubles event, it was an achievement that no other team member could match. However, if you count doubles, Zhang Benmei and her teammates have also won the main team of national table tennis, although it is not in the Olympics, but it is closer to the current time, which is her advantage.
The leaders of the Japan Table Tennis Association and the table tennis team also had a difficult time choosing between the two players. They recognize Ito's accomplishments, but they also admit that Haramoto's progress has been unexpected. Former head coach Takuji Nishimura made it clear that he was on the side of Miwa Zhangmoto, believing that she was a greater threat to the Chinese players. However, Takuji Nishimura has already left, and his views have little influence on the final selection results.
Therefore, it will be a difficult task to select the "third person" of the girl group, and it will be necessary to comprehensively consider various factors such as Misei Ito and Miwa Zhangmoto. Ito had said she might give up after losing the Olympic singles, but the latest news shows that she will participate in the Busan Team World Table Tennis Championships. This has raised some questions about whether it means she still has a chance to compete in the Paris Olympics. However, it is worth noting that even if Ito participates in the team event at the World Table Tennis Championships, it does not necessarily mean that she will participate in the Olympics.
After all, the World Table Tennis Championships is an important international competition that is of high value to the Japanese team. The Olympics is a higher-level event and may require stricter selection criteria. At present, the preparation of the Japanese women's table tennis team is not clear, and there is no official announcement of the list of players who will participate in the Olympics. Therefore, we cannot be sure who will catch the last train to the Paris Olympics. Possible candidates include Mimato Ito, Hina Hayata, Miwa Haramoto, and others.
They are all the main players of the Japanese team, and they have excellent quality and experience. However, we can't rule out the possibility of other players either. After all, the Olympics is a top-level global event, and every country will send the strongest team to participate. Therefore, the Japanese women's table tennis team still needs to continue to work hard and strive for more opportunities to participate in the Olympic Games through hard training and competition.