In the women’s team final of the World Table Tennis Championships, held in London on February 10–11 (Japan time), Japan fell just short of ending a 55-year gold medal drought, settling for silver for the sixth consecutive tournament.
The team event consists entirely of singles matches, with the first team to win three matches claiming victory. Fifth-ranked Miwa Harimoto (17, Kinoshita Group) stepped up in the opening match, facing world No. 2 Wang Manyu, whom she had never beaten in 11 previous attempts. Harimoto dominated early, and although Wang leveled the score, Harimoto held her nerve in a tight finish, pumping her fist with a smile after finally tasting victory against her long-time conqueror.
Japan looked to build momentum toward a historic upset. In the second match, world No. 9 Hina Hayata (25, Nippon Life) lost the ace duel to world No. 1 Sun Yingsha, but in the third match, Honoka Hashimoto (27, Denso) used her signature chopping style to defeat Kuai Man (world No. 7) 3–1, putting Japan within one win of a historic victory.
However, the six-time defending champions China proved too strong. Japan lost the fourth and fifth matches in straight sets, sealing their sixth straight silver medal.
Harimoto, who shone in the opening match, was unable to fully celebrate, but said, “Because of the memories from two years ago, I was determined to win at least one match. I’m glad I pulled through. I think I’ve grown a bit.” Her performance showed Japan is steadily closing the gap against the dominant Chinese team.
Meanwhile, the Japanese men’s team also fought hard for their first gold in 57 years but were swept 3–0 by China. Still, they secured their first silver medal in a decade.
After the match, ace Tomokazu Harimoto (22, Toyota Motor) said, “We improved from the last championships. Winning silver is something to be proud of, and there are many things we can take confidence from. But gold is still far away. We need to clearly identify what gives us confidence and where we need to improve, go back to practice, and become stronger so we can beat any country.”
**Results:**
Women: Japan 2-3 China
Match 1: Harimoto 3-2 Wang Manyu
Match 2: Hayata 0-3 Sun Yingsha
Match 3: Hashimoto 3-1 Kuai Man
Match 4: Harimoto 0-3 Sun Yingsha
Match 5: Hayata 0-3 Wang Manyu
Men: Japan 0-3 China
Match 1: Harimoto 2-3 Liang Jingkun
Match 2: Matsushima 1-3 Wang Chuqin
Match 3: Totsuka 1-3 Lin Shidong