Tomokazu Harimoto “The Truth About Yokohama” (Part 1) “I changed my way of thinking about table tennis 180 degrees”

Tomokazu Harimoto was overwhelmed by defeat at the World Championships Doha and chose to “stop” for the first time.

Deep in his wavering heart, the flame of victory never went out, and slowly began to burn again.

A victory of resolve shown in Yokohama. What, exactly, was the hidden truth behind it?
＜August 2025, after winning WTT Yokohama＞
PHOTO Manabu Nakagawa

Harimoto Tomokazu
Born on June 27, 2003, in Miyagi Prefecture. Influenced by his parents, both former members of the Chinese national team, he started playing table tennis at age 2 and achieved six consecutive titles in the Bambie, Cubs, and Hopes divisions at the All Japan Championships. He reached the quarter-finals in the World Championships Singles at age 13 and became the youngest-ever All Japan champion at 14, repeatedly breaking age records at home and abroad. He won the bronze medal in the men’s team event at the Tokyo Olympics. At WTT Champions Yokohama, he became the Champions titleholder for the second time in his career. World No. 3 (as of September 9). Member of Toyota Motor Corporation

I was reminded once again of how important it is to reset both my body and my mind

　Without much rest after his dramatic victory at WTT Champions Yokohama, Tomokazu Harimoto went on to compete in Europe Smash, held in Sweden.

　After returning to Japan, he also had T League events and other commitments, but he still made time for this interview despite his busy schedule.

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●―How do you feel about your performances from the World Championships Doha in May to WTT Champions Yokohama in August??

Tomokazu Harimoto (hereafter, Tomokazu)　I finished Doha without winning a medal, and it completely changed my way of thinking about table tennis. Of course, practice is important and effort is necessary, but I thought maybe it was okay to increase the amount of rest too. I didn’t hold a racket for 10 days after Doha ended. The loss in the World Championships clash with a teammate (against Shunsuke Togami) was mentally tough, and honestly, I didn’t feel like practicing right away.

　By the time of Ljubljana in June (WTT Star Contender), I still hadn’t fully recovered mentally, so I was trying to gradually get back into form through matches, but I lost to Togami again. In the next event, Zagreb (WTT Contender), I was about 60% back, and when it was decided I’d face Togami again, I thought, “I definitely can’t lose three in a row,” and from there I really started to get going.

　After beating Togami in the quarter-finals, I felt much lighter mentally. After the match against Togami, everything—my body and mind—started moving in a better direction, and I was able to win the title in Zagreb. Even if only temporarily, taking a long break became a successful experience for me in a positive sense. I was reminded once again of how important it is to reset both my body and my mind. Before going into Las Vegas (US Smash), I was in the best physical and mental condition. I wasn’t doing an especially large amount of practice, but my feel was there, and I didn’t feel that much pressure.