Japan wins Asian Games men’s team gold in table tennis

Japan won the Asian Games men’s table tennis team title on home soil, beating China 3-2 in Nagoya and ending its rival’s run of eight consecutive gold medals.

The Japanese team twice had to recover from falling behind. In the opening match, Sora Matsushima took a two-game lead against world No. 1 Wang Chuqin, only for Wang to win the next three games. A later victory by China’s Lin Shidong put Japan behind again.

Tomokazu Harimoto supplied two crucial wins. He beat Wen Ruibo 3-1, then defeated Wang in three straight games to bring the team contest level at 2-2. Matsushima returned for the deciding match and beat Wen 3-1, securing the gold after his difficult start to the final.

Japan’s squad had an average age of just 22, but brought considerable international experience. The victory also reversed the outcome of the men’s world team final in London earlier that year, when China beat Japan 3-0. That earlier result puts this breakthrough in perspective: China remains a formidable opponent, while Japan has developed more than one player capable of delivering decisive wins against it.