Tokyo: Local favourites Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito scripted history on Monday as they stunned world champions Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen of China 4-3 in a thrilling final to clinch the first-ever table tennis mixed doubles Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Having trailed by two games, the Japanese duo made a brilliant comeback at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium to win 5-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 11-6. The table tennis mixed doubles event was added for the first time in the Olympics programme this year.
The Joy… #UnitedByEmotion
MIZUTANI Jun and ITO Mima🇯🇵 are the first #Olympics #TableTennis mixed doubles #gold medalists in history!
History being mad everyday at #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/vbirbhDiIy
— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) July 26, 2021
“China has beaten us so many times at the Olympics and at the World Championships. I think we were able to avenge all those losses here at the Tokyo Games. I’m really happy,” said Mizutani. “I’m really really really happy. We were able to enjoy ourselves up to the very end because everyone, including our team staff, cheered us on,” added Ito.
China has been the dominating force in table tennis since it was introduced at the 1988 Seoul Games, claiming 28 of the 32 Olympics gold medals till the 2016 Rio Olympics. They had won all of the golds on offer since missing out on the men’s singles title in Athens in 2004.
