Ai Fukuhara facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ai Fukuhara
Fukuhara at the 2016 World Team Table Tennis Championships
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Ai-chan
Born	(1988-11-01) 1 November 1988 (age 36) Sendai, Japan
Playing style	Right-handed, shakehand grip
Highest ranking	4 (October 2015)
Height	155 cm (5 ft 1 in)
Medal record Women's table tennis Representing  Japan Olympic Games Silver 2012 London Team Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team World Championships Silver 2016 Kuala Lumpur Team Bronze 2004 Doha Team Bronze 2006 Bremen Team Bronze 2008 Guangzhou Team Bronze 2010 Moscow Team Bronze 2011 Rotterdam Mixed doubles Asian Games Silver 2014 Incheon Team Bronze 2002 Busan Team Bronze 2010 Guangzhou Singles Bronze 2010 Guangzhou Doubles Bronze 2010 Guangzhou Mixed doubles Bronze 2014 Incheon Mixed doubles Asian Championships Silver 2003 Bangkok Doubles Bronze 2005 Jeju-do Doubles Bronze 2009 Lucknow Mixed doubles Bronze 2012 Macau Team Bronze 2013 Busan Team

Ai Fukuhara (福原 愛, Fukuhara Ai, born 1 November 1988) is a retired Japanese table tennis player. She is famous for winning medals at the Olympic Games. Ai won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Both medals were with the Japanese women's team. She was sponsored by All Nippon Airways.

Ai Fukuhara's Table Tennis Journey

Ai Fukuhara started playing table tennis when she was only 3 years old. By age 10, she became a professional player. The next year, she made history as the youngest player ever to join Japan's national team. Because she started so young, many people called her a "child prodigy" in table tennis.

When she was 13, in 2002, Ai became the youngest Japanese player to represent her country at the Asian Games. In 2003, she played in her first World Table Tennis Championships in Paris. She reached the quarter-finals but lost to a top player named Zhang Yining. In 2004, she helped Team Japan win a bronze medal at the World Team Championships.

Ai's Olympic Adventures

Ai Fukuhara first qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She was only 15 years old, making her the youngest female table tennis player to ever compete in the Olympic Games. In her first Olympics, she made it to the round of 16. She lost to Kim Kyung-Ah, who later won a bronze medal.

Ai also competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She was chosen to carry the Japanese flag during the opening ceremony, which is a great honor! She played in the women's team event with Sayaka Hirano and Haruna Fukuoka. They reached the bronze medal match but lost to South Korea. In the singles event, Ai reached the round of 16, where she lost to the gold medalist, Zhang Yining.

At the London 2012 Olympic Games, Ai qualified again. In the singles event, she lost to Ding Ning. However, in the Women's Team Event, Ai helped Japan make history. She won her match against Feng Tianwei, which helped Japan reach their first-ever Olympic table tennis final. Japan didn't win against China in the finals, but Ai Fukuhara earned her first Olympic silver medal!

Ai also played in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Her team had a close semi-final match against Germany and lost. But they bounced back and won the bronze medal by defeating Singapore. Ai played with Kasumi Ishikawa and Mima Ito on her team. In the singles event, she finished in 4th place.

Other Big Wins

In 2005, Ai Fukuhara became the highest-ranked Japanese female player on the ITTF World Ranking list. She reached the semifinals at the 2005 Women's World Cup. She won the third-place match against Tie Ya Na.

At the Hong Kong 2009 East Asian Games, Ai Fukuhara won the Women's Doubles title with Kasumi Ishikawa.

The ITTF Kuwait Open in 2010 was a very successful tournament for Ai. She surprised many by defeating strong Chinese players like Guo Yue and Guo Yan. She also beat Singapore's Wang Yuegu. In the final match, she played against China's top player, Liu Shiwen. It was a very close game, but Ai lost 3-4.

In 2013, Ai Fukuhara won the Japan Open title. She was ranked 15th in the world at that time. She defeated two strong Chinese opponents before winning the final against Moon Hyunjung from South Korea. Ai said winning the Japan Open was very special to her, especially in front of her fans.

Retirement from Table Tennis

Ai Fukuhara announced that she was retiring from table tennis in October 2018. In 2021, after Ding Ning announced her retirement, Ai Fukuhara shared a message saying that Ding Ning was her role model.

Ai's Popularity

Ai Fukuhara's first name, Ai, means "love" in Japanese. People in Japan often call her "Ai-chan," which is a cute nickname. Her young age and amazing talent made her a very popular sports star in Japan.

Ai has even appeared in two Japanese table tennis video games. One was called Ikuze! Onsen Takkyū!! (Do it! Hot Spring Table Tennis!!), released in 2001. The other was Fukuhara Ai No Takkyū Icchokusen (Ai Fukuhara's Table Tennis), released in 2004. Both games were for the PlayStation 2.

Ai was chosen to carry the Olympic flame when it came to Tokyo in 2004. She carried the torch again for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. She was also the flag bearer for the Japanese team at the opening ceremonies.

Ai Fukuhara is also very popular in China. She has played table tennis there since she was very young. Because of this, she can speak fluent Mandarin Chinese with a Northeastern accent. This makes her more popular in China than many other non-Chinese table tennis players. She once wrote "中日友好" (meaning "Sino-Japanese friendship") when she met Wang Yi, who was the Chinese ambassador to Japan at the time.

In 2005, Ai Fukuhara appeared with famous Chinese actor Jackie Chan at a photo exhibition. This event celebrated 60 years of peace between China and Japan. In 2008, Chinese President Hu Jintao even played table tennis with Ai Fukuhara at Waseda University during his visit to Japan.

Ai's Personal Life

Ai Fukuhara went to Aomori Yamada Junior High School and graduated from Aomori Yamada High School in 2007. Both schools are in Aomori Prefecture. In 2007, she started studying sports science at Waseda University. However, she decided to leave in 2010 to focus completely on her table tennis career.

When she was a teenager, Ai trained with the China national table tennis team. She also played for the Liaoning team in the China Table Tennis Super League. She became good friends with world champions like Wang Nan and Guo Yue. Because of her time in Liaoning and her coach, Tang Yuanyuan, Ai speaks Mandarin very well with a special accent. Chinese players and fans often call her "Ai-chan" (爱酱) with affection.

Ai Fukuhara married Taiwanese table tennis player Chiang Hung-chieh in 2016, after the Rio Olympics. They had a daughter in October 2017 and a son in 2019. Their marriage was even featured in a Chinese reality show. Ai and Chiang divorced in March 2021.

See also

In Spanish: Ai Fukuhara para niños