Tomokazu Harimoto's second V "I'm also a challenger until I win gold at the Olympics" | Table Tennis Media

On the 13th, the 2022 ZEN-NOH CUP TOP32 entered its second day in Funabashi, and the men’s singles final was held.

Tomokazu Harimoto wins the championship for the second time

In the men’s singles final, he defeated Daito Shinozuka (Aichi Institute of Technology) in the semifinals.Tomokazu Harimoto(IMG), Kazuki Hamada (Waseda Univ.),Kazuhiro Yoshimura(Individual), Ryoichi Yoshiyama (Aiko Daimei Denko) and other influential players were defeated to advance to the final.(Aichi Institute of Technology) became a battle.

Photo: Yuta Tanaka (Aichi Institute of Technology)/Photo: Rally’s Editorial Department

Tanaka approached Harimoto with a high-quality two-hand drive that seemed to be sucked into the table, but Harimoto overwhelmed Tanaka with a destructive fore drive and a fast back drive that hit. In the third game, there was a scene where the lead was allowed, but Harimoto led the game from beginning to end and won the game count 4-0. It was the second time following the first selection meeting, and the third time including the T League individual competition.

As a result of the men’s singles final, Harimoto and Tanaka’s comments after the game are as follows.

Comment from Tomokazu Harimoto

Looking back on this tournament

This was the most difficult election for me. Even in the semi-final match against Shinozuka, there were times when we were forced to lose, and there were many unlucky points, but we were able to play without giving up while remembering how painful it was to lose. I think it led to

Is there pressure as a position to be chased?

Rather than being chased, I feel like I am running with them. If other athletes are chasing me and I am chasing China, I don’t think I’m running away.

About Koki Niwa, who announced his retirement from international competition

As a player who fought alongside me, and as a fan, I am honestly disappointed, but since it was Mr. Niwa’s decision, I will do my best to respect it. We are rivals in Japan, but I will carry Niwa’s thoughts on my shoulders and challenge to overthrow China in the international tournament.

About the future

Since we have the T-League, Asian Cup, and European Champions League, I would like to gain a lot of experience with strong teammates. Also, since I haven’t been able to win the All Japan Championship recently, I will aim to win the All Japan Championship as well.

Comment from Yuta Tanaka

looking back at the game

Playing in the final gave me confidence, but I was disappointed that I couldn’t play as well as I often fell behind in the final. Especially in the third game, I made a mistake in choosing the service and couldn’t finish the game, so I regret that.

In terms of play throughout the tournament, the good point was that the percentage of goals scored from service was high.

What is the true meaning of the words “I’m betting on this year”?

This year is my fourth year at university, and it’s my last year as a university student, so I want to use that as my motivation to produce results. We were able to win the All Japan High School Championship, and we also won the second place in this tournament, so I want to ride this trend.

About the future

I want to show good results in domestic and international competitions, such as the French league and the All Japan Championship, which I have been participating in since this season.