Our Town Inagi 2016: Kazuki Shichino

Aiming for the World Stage in Table Tennis: 17-Year-Old Carrying the Rising Sun Flag

Mr. Nanano, who lives in the city and attends Wako High School (Machida City), represented Japan at the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) Para Spanish Open held in June this year.
This tournament is an official para table tennis event and was held this year in Barcelona, Spain. Players are classified based on their disabilities, and they compete for victory within their respective classes. Mr. Nanano competed in Class 6 (the class with the most severe disabilities while standing). He wore bilateral leg braces and approached the match with a crutch in his left hand and a racket in his right hand, achieving a remarkable victory against a player from the host country, Spain.
Mr. Nanano, who is also active in other tournaments, aims to participate in the Tokyo Paralympics as a "candidate for the National Team of the Japan Table Tennis Association for Persons with Disabilities" and as a "certified athlete of Tokyo."

My encounter with table tennis was in the fourth grade of elementary school, at a table tennis hall in a hot spring inn we visited during a family trip. From the moment I held the racket, I was captivated by the charm of table tennis, and I began serious practice after becoming a junior high school student. I participated in my first match in the second year of junior high school, and although I lost in the first round, I continued to practice, using my frustration as motivation, and achieved results in various competitions.
When I asked Nanano-san, who smiles and says, "Just playing table tennis makes me happy," about her recent practice, she mentioned that on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, she practices individually with her club team, and on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, she works as a coach at the affiliated junior high school, sharing her days filled with table tennis.
The Rio de Janeiro Paralympics concluded on September 18, 2016, and it will be four years until the Tokyo Paralympics. To participate, points from matches both domestically and internationally are required, and it will be a long journey, but let's envision Nanano-san excelling as a representative of Japan and support her.