Spectators may well have witnessed the dawn of a new era in Japanese table tennis when Tomokazu Harimoto, 14, defeated star player Jun Mizutani, 28, in the final of the All Japan Championships last month.
Harimoto, a second-year junior high school student, also beat Mizutani -- a bronze medalist in the men's singles at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics -- at last year's ITTF World Championships.
The final for the All Japan Championships was held on Jan. 21 in Tokyo. Harimoto overpowered Mizutani -- the defending champion who has won the tournament a record nine times -- 4-2 for the men's singles title.
He became the youngest singles player ever to win the championship. The record was previously held by Miu Hirano, who won last year's women's singles title at 16. Harimoto is also the first-ever junior high school student to become national champion.
"This is the best moment in my career as a table tennis player," Harimoto said. "I'll work hard to get two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics [in the singles and team events]."
"[Harimoto's backhand shots] are tough to return -- they're world class," Mizutani said afterward. "His abilities have multiplied [since last year's world championships]."
"Though I hate admitting I lost, I did my best. I'm lucky I won many national titles before Harimoto appeared," Mizutani added.
Hard-working prodigy
Harimoto was born in Sendai and started playing table tennis when he was 2. His parents were born in China and are also table tennis players.
From an early age, it was evident he had inherited his parents' talents. During his six years at elementary school, he won the All Japan Championships every year for his grade level. After enrolling in junior high school, he joined the Japanese Olympic Committee's Elite Academy Program, which nurtures athletes aiming to win medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
He reached the quarterfinals of the world championships in June to become the youngest player to reach the last 8. However, he resumed his early morning serving practice immediately after returning to Japan as though nothing special had happened.
Harimoto then grabbed the Czech Open title in August to become the youngest player to win a World Tour title, but he began physical training an hour after the awards ceremony. He sometimes prolongs his practices by as long as an hour, continually telling himself, "Just one more minute."
"To be honest, it was too early," Harimoto said of winning the All Japan title. He shows no signs of satisfaction. "Two years to go until the Tokyo Olympics. Unless I win the next two [All Japan Championships], it'll be difficult to win the gold medal."
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