Miwa Harimoto and Tomokazu Harimoto display their silver medals.
Japan’s table tennis national team returned home on the 12th after competing in the World Team Table Tennis Championships. The men’s and women’s teams both earned silver medals, losing to China in the finals. For the men, it was their first silver in ten years, while the women secured their sixth consecutive silver.
Seventeen-year-old Miwa Harimoto was a standout performer, compiling an individual record of 10 wins and 1 loss. In the final against China, she defeated world No. 2 Wang Manyu, who had previously won all 11 matches against Harimoto. This victory pushed Miwa up two spots in the world rankings to a career-high No. 3, overtaking China’s Chen Xingtong and breaking into the otherwise Chinese-dominated top three.
“I’m really happy. My brother was at No. 3, and I was around No. 5 or 6, so I’m glad to be able to join him rather than just catch up. Both my brother and I are aiming for No. 1, so I’m not satisfied yet. But for me, this is my personal best, so I’m happy,” she said with genuine joy.
Her older brother Tomokazu, a top-ranked player himself, commented on her achievement: “I found out through the news. Getting into the top three is no easy feat, so I’m glad that both of us, in the men’s and women’s categories, have done it. As Miwa said, I want us to aim higher together—for No. 2 and No. 1. Maintaining a ranking above No. 3 is difficult, so I hope we can support each other’s rankings and one day be No. 1 together.”