Table Tennis-Japan's mixed doubles team stunned by early elimination

REUTERS

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Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto, background right, and Hina Hayata, play against North Korea's Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong during a mixed doubles round of 16 table tennis game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 27, in Paris. (AP Photo)

Paris--Japan's world number two table tennis mixed doubles team, Hina Hayata and Tomokazu Harimoto, were eliminated by North Korea's Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong 4-1 in the first round at the Paris Olympics, losing the chance to retain the country's gold medal.

The 49-minute match at the South Paris Arena ended in a shocking defeat for the Japanese pair, who were considered top contenders for the title and challengers to the Chinese team.

"I think they played as well as other top countries like South Korea and Germany today," Harimoto said of the North Koreans who will face Sweden in the quarter-finals.

China's top-ranked mixed doubles team, Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha, easily advanced with a 4-0 victory over Egypt, setting the stage for what they hope will be a gold medal sweep. They next face Taiwan in the last eight.

Home favourites Alexis Lebrun and Yuan Jia Nan not surprisingly got the biggest cheers from the audience. Despite the French pair's efforts, they lost 4-2 to the higher-ranked Taiwan team of Chen Szu-Yu and Lin Yun-Ju.

The North Korean team have made fewer international appearances over the past three years compared to other players, leaving them as something of a mystery to their rivals.

Their tightly contested match with Japan saw the North Korea pair gaining momentum from the onset and maintaining a high level of play throughout the second half.

Despite the setback, Hayata and Harimoto will continue to compete in more events at the Paris Games.

"Anything could happen. I hope to play better in the singles and team events," Harimoto added.

Their elimination is a significant blow to Japan's medal hopes and a boost for their rivals, including the dominant Chinese team.

Meanwhile, Zeng Zhiying, a former Chinese player making her Olympic debut representing Chile in the women's singles, was defeated 4-1 by Lebanon's Mariana Sahakian.