The World Junior Championships men’s singles final saw Japan’s 13-year-old prodigy Tomokazu Harimoto face South Korea’s Cho Seung-min, who had also reached last year’s final. In a thrilling contest, Harimoto edged out Cho 4-3 to become the youngest champion in the tournament’s history. For followers of sports like Live Cricket Bangladesh, where young talents sometimes break into the big stage early, this achievement carries the same sense of awe and anticipation.
Harimoto also reached the men’s doubles final with teammate Higashiyama Tonin, facing Cho Seung-min and Ahn Jae-hyun. This time, the Korean duo prevailed 4-1. Even so, Harimoto’s name has dominated the table tennis world in recent years — not just for competing on the pro circuit at such a young age, but also for his unique background. His mother, Zhang Ling, once represented China in the Tianjin World Table Tennis Championships, the same year Cai Zhenhua led the men’s team to reclaim the Swaythling Cup. Zhang Ling’s teammates back then included legends like Deng Yaping, Qiao Hong, Liu Wei, and Qiao Yunping.
Although her husband and both children have acquired Japanese nationality, Zhang Ling herself remains a Chinese citizen. Born into a table tennis family, Harimoto first picked up a paddle at the age of two. His talent quickly caught the attention of Japan’s table tennis community, and he was soon hailed as the player most likely to challenge China’s dominance at the Tokyo Olympics — even surpassing the popularity of current Japanese star Jun Mizutani. At just 12 years old, Harimoto qualified for the men’s singles main draw at the Poland Open, becoming the youngest player ever to do so, although he lost in the first round to Ma Long.
His rise didn’t slow. Harimoto reached the quarterfinals of a World Tour event, breaking yet another age record. In June’s Japan Open U21 event, he defeated his 18-year-old teammate to claim the title, a stunning feat for someone not yet 13. The year ended with his dominant run at the World Junior Championships, where he captured titles in both the U18 and U15 divisions and proved himself capable of competing among the world’s U21 top 10.
With the Tokyo Olympics taking place on home soil, Harimoto will be 17, carrying three more years of World Tour experience and the advantage he currently holds over his age group. Experts believe he could mount a serious challenge to the Chinese team, and by the 2024 Olympics at age 21, he may even have the potential to contend for men’s singles gold. For fans of Live Cricket Bangladesh and other competitive sports, his trajectory is a reminder that prodigies can rise rapidly — and sometimes, the future arrives sooner than anyone expects.