According to Kyodo News, the Japanese duo Jun Mizutani & Mima Ito won a dramatic victory against long-invincible Chinese couple Xu Xin & Liu Shiwen after a seven-game thriller.
Making history
Reuters reported that it was the first Olympic gold for both Japanese paddlers.China has dominated the sport since it was introduced in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and has not missed out on a gold medal since 2004.Japan Today reports that while China started fast, winning the first two games 11-5, 11-7 and then the third game 11-8, Japan came back in the third.
Mixed doubles table tennis is MUST WATCH TV
pic.twitter.com/FzSSdOinWy— Barstool Sportsbook (@BSSportsbook) July 26, 2021
Japan won the next two nail-biters with 11-9, respectively, in the fourth and fifth games.After winning 11-6, China tied Japan in sixth place in matches won.Japan won the final game with an 8-0 win. Japan then took the lead and won the gold.
Reactions of netizens
Many netizens congratulated Japan on their win via social media platforms.Many people commented on how it was an incredible comeback. Others referred to it as a “legacy performance”.
Background on table tennis
While the mixed doubles event has been played in the World Championships, the 2020 Games marks the first time it was played at the Olympics.For the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, there are the men’s and women’s single, team, and mixed doubles events.Matches are played over the best of seven games, with the first to 11 points winning each game.