Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito earned a double place in Japan sports history on Monday night when they breached the Great Wall that China had built in becoming the foremost power in table tennis.
Mizutani and Ito rallied to defeat China's Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen in a riveting mixed doubles final at Tokyo Metropolitan Gym, making them the first-ever champions in the event added to the Olympic program for the Tokyo Games, while giving Japan its first-ever gold medal in the sport overall.
Mizutani and Ito bounced back after losing the first two games to defeat the Chinese pair 5-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 11-6 in a final that lasted 1 hour 14 minutes.
Starting with the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Chinese had completely monopolized the gold medals in table tennis. The Japanese pair, who had each suffered their share of losses to Chinese opponents, finally ended the streak.
"I've lost to the Chinese many times at the Olympics and world championships, but I was able to get revenge at the Tokyo Olympics," said Mizutani, a bronze medalist in singles at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and silver medalist in the team event.
Mizutani and Ito, who both hail from Iwata, Shizuoka Prefecture, turned the match around in the third game when they went on the attack, forcing the normally rock-steady Chinese into making mistakes.
"We couldn't get any momentum going, but by taking the third game, the tide turned our way," Mizutani said.
In the decisive seventh game, the Japanese pair stayed aggressive and at one point, reeled off eight straight points. After taking match point, the two celebrated with a somewhat awkward hug.
Compared with singles in which individual skills make the difference between victory and defeat, mixed doubles requires that the man and woman take alternate shots, making teamwork the most important element. That plays into Japan's strength.
Even with their age difference -- Mizutani is 32, Ito just 20 -- the two were completely in sync, with Mizutani keeping rallies alive with his steady play and Ito providing killer returns.
Despite Mizutani's age and status, Ito addresses him with the familiar "Jun-chan." It is no sign of disrespect; the two have known each other for years.
Ito attended the table tennis club run by Mizutani's parents in their town. According to Ito, she lived about a 10-minute walk away from Mizutani, who she regards "as being like a big brother."
At one time during the pandemic, they were forbidden from practicing together. "Even if we couldn't practice together at all, we probably would have been alright because we know each other so well," said Ito, who won a team bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
When Ito was still a schoolgirl prodigy, Mizutani once gave her a piggy-back ride. On Monday, she was the one who put the Olympic gold medal that they won together around his neck.
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