China have lost table tennis gold medal to Japan in the Tokyo Olympics.
Gatekeepers News reports that Japanese mixed doubles pair Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito have claimed their country’s first-ever Olympic table tennis gold medal on Monday.
The pair brought an end to Chinese years of dominance with a remarkable comeback victory on their home soil.
Since a men’s singles triumph for South Korean Ryu Seung-min in the 2004 Athens Games, China won every Olympic title in the sport. However, Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen blew a two-game lead in a thrilling final in Tokyo.
The Japanese raced into an 8-0 lead in the deciding game and closed it out when Xin hit a return into the net, with the Mizutani and Ito winning 5-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 11-6.
Liu and Xu being the reigning world champions, could not hide the shock on their faces as they watch their opponents celebrate a famous triumph in Tokyo.
The victory also moved the host nation to the top of the overall Olympics medals table at the end of the day’s action with eight golds, one more than the United States.
Gatekeepers News earlier reported that China lost gold to Britain in the men’s synchronised 10m platform diving at the Tokyo Olympics.
Record revealed that this was only the fifth time in 33 Olympic table tennis competitions that the Chinese have failed to finish on the top step of the podium.
Meanwhile, second seeds Mizutani and Ito were almost out at the quarter-final on Sunday. The duo, however, saved seven match points to win 16-14 in the seventh game against German duo Patrick Franziska and Petrissa Solja.
This was the first time a mixed-double event was played at the Olympics.
On the other hand, Cheng I-ching and Lin Yun-ju secured bronze for Taiwan with an 11-8, 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 win over French pair Emmanuel Lebesson and Yuan Jia Nan.
