On May 12, Tomoki Harimoto returned to Japan and held a press conference where he repeatedly emphasized the theme of revenge. He stated that he will strive to defeat the Chinese national table tennis team in upcoming world competitions to achieve what he considers a true revenge.
Before the World Table Tennis Championships, Harimoto had consistently talked about winning the gold medal. However, reality proved disappointing. Speaking to Japanese reporters, Harimoto said, “I really thought this Chinese team was the one we had the best chance to beat among all previous Chinese teams. But looking at the results, China only lost one point starting from the quarterfinals and won easily.”
Harimoto acknowledged the continued strength of the Chinese team: “This shows that Wang Chuqin’s level is clearly one or two tiers higher, and their second and third players also performed strongly against other countries’ top players. Whether in terms of top-level talent or overall depth, China’s advantage remains.”
Nevertheless, Harimoto is not giving up and is determined to seek revenge in the near future. “I originally wanted to get revenge at this World Championships, but I failed. Still, a silver medal is okay. Of course, we can take revenge at the Asian Games and the Asian Championships. Looking at world competitions, the next opportunity will be the Fukuoka World Championships in two years.”
Harimoto emphasized that China will always be his biggest rival: “Only by defeating teams like Germany and then beating China can you call it true revenge.”
Harimoto remains confident: “At the Asian Games, I will go all out to achieve revenge in all events, including the team competition.”