Japan gunning for women's table tennis team gold at Tokyo 2020

Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-22 22:29:54|Editor: ZX
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TOKYO, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Japan's women's table tennis players have set their sights on winning the team gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games, world No. 9 Kasumi Ishikawa said here on Wednesday.

"My goal at Tokyo is to win a medal in the singles event because I have never won a singles medal," 26-year-old Ishikawa told Xinhua.

"As for the team event, we hope to win the gold medal. My teammates are very strong at the moment. I want to play my best to help them achieve this goal."

But Ishikawa and her teammates will likely face a stern test from China, which has swept the board in all Olympic women's team and singles events since table tennis first appeared at the Seoul Games in 1988. Team events replaced doubles in 2008.

"Every Chinese player is so good that I don't want to face any of them," Ishikawa remarked when asked which Chinese player she most wanted to avoid in the finals.

Ishikawa helped Japan win the team silver medal at London 2012 and bronze in Rio four years ago. In the singles event, she was fourth in London and crashed out in the third round in Rio after suffering cramp.

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