Kasumi Ishikawa
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Japan
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Japan
Kasumi Ishikawa is a left-handed Japanese table tennis player who uses the inverted rubber shakehand grip to mainly produce loops and a heavy and speedy topspin ball with a wider reach in offensive play. The shakehand grip is a style favored by players who like loop drives, loops and topspins and it is also a favorite for people who like hitting or smashing the ball to generate a medium-to-high speed stroke that requires little topspin.
We will look at Ishikawa Kasumi’s profile, including her background, playing style, current ranking, and the awards and achievements she has amassed to become the best female Japanese table tennis player.
Quick Facts
Biography
Kasumi Ishikawa who was born on 23, February 1993 is a force to reckon with in table tennis. She comes from a family of tennis players and she started playing table tennis at a young age. We will follow her journey from childhood through her rise to prominence as a top table tennis player who has also ranked among the five “most-liked” sportswomen for six consecutive years (2014 to 2020), according to surveys by Oricon.
Early years
Ishikawa Kasumi has an impressive career which should not come as a surprise for many of us given her roots in table tennis.
Her mother is her current coach and she has played table tennis at the national level and her younger sister, Rita, has also been a professional table tennis player.
Ishikawa is nicknamed Ai-Chan II because her underspin serves are inspired by Ai Fukuhara, an Olympic medalist who was also a child prodigy but has since retired.
Having the best ping pong balls will certainly give you an edge over your competitors but you also need to have the right attitude to be a world-class player. After graduating from Hirakawa Primary School, the decorated player wrote that her dream was to play in the Olympics. She has achieved that and much more, thanks to her passion for the sport and her positive mindset that was reinforced by recent comments by Ishikawa who urged people to believe in themselves and not let self-doubt hold them back during an Olympians for Beauty campaign .
Ishikawa Kasumi studied at Shitennoji Habikigaoka Middle School and Shitennoji High School where she developed her outstanding speed and aggressive attacking technique during her long hours of training with all-Japan-Class players.
It soon became publicly apparent that Kasumi Ishikawa would be a great table tennis player when she competed in the All Japan Table Tennis Championships, defeating players that were much older her and winning the female junior division of the Championships for four years in a row, starting from 2007.
She also represented ZEN-NOH, Japan in international tournaments as she prepared for the Olympics.
Career
Below is a list of her major wins in table tennis.
World championships
Kasumi Ishikawa competed in the 2009 world table tennis world championships and reached the quarter-final stage of the singles competition.
At the age of 17, she also won the national singles before partnering with Maharu Yoshimura and proceeding to the finals after defeating Petrissa Solja and Fang Bo and the Taiwanese duo of Cheng I-ching and Chen Chien-an at the 2017 World Table Tennis Championships. Her win in Düsseldorf in the mixed doubles event was also Japan’s first gold medal win in the event after 48 years.
Olympic games
We will now look at Kasumi Ishikawa rankings in the Olympics, an event that was her childhood dream.
She made her debut at the London 2012 Olympics at the age of 19, finishing an overall 4th position in the tournament and becoming the first ever Japanese to reach the semi-finals in the event that was eventually won by Li Xiaoxia of China.
She also defeated Wang Yuegu in three straight games in the singles and also defeated Li Jiawei and Wang Juego in three straight games after pairing up with Sayaka Hirano in the third Double’s game, taking Japan to their first ever Olympic finals in table tennis and winning them a silver medal. China won the gold medal.
Ishikawa Kasumi partnered with Mima Ito and Ai Fukuhara for the Japanese Olympic team to beat Singapore and win bronze in Rio de Janeiro 2016. She also took part in the women’s single event but lost to Kim Song-i of North Korea after getting a cramp in her leg. Your choice of footwear can prevent common injuries such as cramps and sprained ankles. We have the best table tennis shoes that are designed to provide excellent grip and handle the swift lateral movements.
The trio of Miu Hirano, Kasumi Ishikawa and Ito Mima were confirmed as part of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics team. Yu Mengyu of Singapore won gold at the event after defeating Ishikawa who won silver.
Awards and achievements
Kasumi Ishikawa is a table tennis player who has won numerous awards and accolades. She has won the All Japan table Tennis Championships for four years in a row and various medals at the Summer Olympics; a silver medal in 2012, a bronze medal in 2016 and a silver medal in 2020.
She also beat Miyuu Kihara and Mima Ito and won the All Japan National Championships finals in 2021.
Kasumi Ishikawa ranking
Kasumi Ishikawa ranking has been as high as 5th position and in 2023 she was ranked 6th in the ITTF women’s world table tennis. She is considered the best female Japanese tennis player and one of the most likable sportswomen.
Kasumi Ishikawa Equipment
Videos
Final Thoughts
Kasumi Ishikawa table tennis ranking and her likability has made her a favorite with many people and her popularity extends to social media where she garnered an impressive 60,000 followers on the first day she opened a Sina Weibo account. She is also popular with movie fans after featuring in the Mixed Doubles film in 2017.
The little girl who longed to play in the Olympics is now a dominant name in the event as well as in other table tennis world championships. We have featured Kasumi Ishikawa equipment in case you might want to practice with the table tennis gear that is used by the top players. Ishikawa says that having confidence in oneself is also important to become a successful table tennis player.