Tomokazu Harimoto facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tomokazu Harimoto |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg)
Harimoto at the 2018 Youth Olympics Final
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Chinese (before 2014) Japanese (after 2014) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 27 June 2003 Sendai, Miyagi, Japan |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing style | Right-handed, shakehand grip | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Equipment(s) | Butterfly Harimoto Tomokazu Innerforce Super ALC, Butterfly Dignics 05 (Forehand) Dignics 05 (Backhand) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 2 (22 November 2022) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | 4 (15 July 2025) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Ryukyu Asteeda (T.League) TTC Neu-Ulm (TTCLM) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 64 kg (141 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tomokazu Harimoto (張本 智和, Harimoto Tomokazu, born 27 June 2003) is a Japanese professional table tennis player. He is currently ranked No. 4 in the ITTF rankings. Tomokazu was born to Chinese parents but became a Japanese citizen in 2014. He won the world junior singles and team titles for Japan in 2016.
In August 2017, he became the youngest player ever to win an ITTF World Tour men's singles title. He won the Czech Open when he was just 14 years and 61 days old. In December 2018, he made history again. He became the youngest player to win the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals at 15 years and 172 days old.
Contents
Tomokazu Harimoto's Early Life & Family
Tomokazu Harimoto was born as Zhang Zhihe in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. His father, Yuu Harimoto, and mother, Zhang Ling, were both professional table tennis players. They came from Sichuan, China. His mother, Zhang Ling, even played for the Chinese National Table Tennis Team. Tomokazu's parents moved from China to Japan in 1998. His younger sister, Miwa Harimoto, is also a talented table tennis player.
Tomokazu started playing table tennis when he was only two years old. To compete in the All Japan Championships, he needed to be a Japanese citizen. So, in 2014, when he was in fourth grade, he became a Japanese citizen. His father and sister also became Japanese citizens. He then legally changed his family name to Harimoto.
In April 2022, Harimoto shared that he would be attending Waseda University. He joined the School of Human Sciences after finishing high school.
Harimoto's Table Tennis Journey
Junior Successes
Harimoto first won the All-Japan Table Tennis Championships Juniors title in 2010. He was just a first grader then. He continued to win this tournament every year throughout his elementary school years. In 2015, he was chosen to play for Japan at the World Junior Table Tennis Championships in France. This made him the youngest Japanese player ever selected. However, he could not go due to the events in Paris in November 2015.
When he was 12 years and 355 days old, Harimoto won the 2016 Under-21 Japan Open title. He beat experienced players like Ho Kwan Kit and Hugo Calderano. This win made him the youngest ever to win an ITTF World Tour Under-21 men's singles title. Later that year, Harimoto won gold medals in boys' singles and team events. This happened at the World Junior Table Tennis Championships in Cape Town, South Africa. He was 13 years and 163 days old, making him the youngest winner of the World Junior Championships. By December 2016, Harimoto was ranked No. 10 in the world for Under-21 players.
Senior Career Highlights
2017: First Senior Final
Harimoto started 2017 at the India Open. He reached the finals by beating several strong players. He eventually lost to the champion, Dimitrij Ovtcharov.
2018: Big Wins and High Rankings
In June 2018, Harimoto surprised everyone by winning the ITTF World Tour Japan Open. He defeated Olympic champions Ma Long in the semi-final and Zhang Jike in the final. He was almost 15 years old when he won this major title. Later in 2018, Harimoto also won the 2018 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in South Korea. He beat Lin Gaoyuan 4-1 in the final. This made him the youngest ever to win this event. His amazing performance in 2018 helped him reach No. 3 in the ITTF world ranking, which was his best ranking at the time.
2020: World Cup Performance
Harimoto earned third place at the 2020 World Cup. He was leading 3–1 against Ma Long in the semi-finals. However, he lost 4–3 after Ma Long changed his serve style.
2021: Olympic Journey
In March 2021, Harimoto played in WTT Doha. He lost in the semi-finals of the WTT Contender event. But he won the championship for the WTT Star Contender event. His teammate Jun Mizutani noted that Harimoto's mental game was getting better in 2021. Mizutani also said Harimoto was returning to his aggressive playing style.
At the Tokyo Olympics, Harimoto was upset by Darko Jorgic in the round of 16 for men's singles. He played doubles in Japan's team victory against Sweden. In the semi-finals, Harimoto won both his matches against Germany. However, Germany still won the overall team match 3–2.
Amazing Records Tomokazu Harimoto Holds
- June 2016: Youngest ever winner of an ITTF World Tour Under-21 men's singles title (12 years, 355 days).
- December 2016: Youngest ever winner of the boys' singles title at the World Junior Championships (13 years, 163 days).
- August 2017: Youngest ever winner of an ITTF World Tour men's singles title (14 years, 61 days).
- January 2018: Youngest ever winner of the men's singles title at the Japanese National Championships (14 years, 207 days).
- December 2018: Youngest ever winner of an ITTF World Tour Grand Finals men's singles title (15 years, 172 days).
Awards and Recognition
- ITTF Star Awards: Breakthrough Star (2017)
See also
In Spanish: Tomokazu Harimoto para niños
