New Delhi: Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, Adam Bobrow, who is known as ‘The Voice of Table Tennis’ has listed the Top-10 paddlers to watch out for at the much-awaited Games, beginning July 23.
Tokyo Games will feature 339 events in 33 different sports and a total of 50 disciplines including table tennis, which has been a part of the Olympics since 1988.
Adam, who will be one of the official commentators at the Tokyo Games, also runs a YouTube channel and has featured many top TT players on his channel which enabled TT enthusiasts to know more about their favourite players and the sport.
China has been the most dominant country when it comes to TT, however, the upcoming Tokyo Olympics could bring surprise for the fans with paddlers from other parts of the world making notable performances.
Adam’s top-10 paddlers to watch at the Olympics are:
Mima Ito (Japan): At only 20, Mima is not only the youngest in the Japanese Olympic team but by far the greatest threat to Chinese dominance. She has the most dominant serves in the game.
Her unique serves often don’t come back and there is a reason the crowd loves the coined phrases ‘Mima punch’ and ‘Mima smash’. Known as ‘Mima-chan’ the World No 2 is just 4 feet 9 inches but powerful and is one of the main reasons why women’s game has been increasingly fascinating to watch over the last 5 years.
Tomokazu Harimoto (Japan): Japanese sensation Harimoto has already been considered to be GOAT and has defeated Olympic champion and TT great Ma Long even before turning 15.
The fight in Harimoto has been taking down notable names since he was only 11 years old and he has shattered almost every age-related record this sport has to offer. The 18-years-old paddler’s battle cries will make it very clear from the start of the match, that he came to conquer and not to rest for a single point.
Adriana Diaz (Puerto Rico): ‘The Pride of Puerto Rico’ Adriana is not quite an unknown name to TT enthusiasts in India with her impressive performances in the country’s premier TT league, Ultimate Table Tennis.
Adriana was also the first-ever Puerto Rican paddler to be invited to play in the Chinese Super League.
With the entry into the Top-20 in the world, she shattered all the records in Puerto Rico TT history and her personality, swag and super creative style of play make her spectacular to watch. Interestingly Adriana is one of four TT playing sisters in the Diaz family and her elder sister Melanie has also qualified to compete in Tokyo.
Liam Pitchford (England): As England’s top player, Pitchford has beaten two of the top three Chinese national team players in recent years. The World No. 15 has been producing some remarkable performances recently.
His bold and risky style combined with his scarily versatile backhand makes him a danger for any opponent. No one is safe with Pitchford on their half of the draw.
