Eighteen-year-old world No. 4 Tomokazu Harimoto is hoping to do what many would consider near impossible: end China's 13-year Olympic men's singles table tennis reign by claiming Japan's first gold in the sport.
In his Olympic debut, the naturalized Japanese athlete, born to Chinese parents who are both former pro table tennis players, hopes to do better than the men's bronze that Jun Mizutani won in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Japan's first Olympic singles table tennis medal.
Later that year, Harimoto stunned the world by becoming the youngest world junior champion, claiming the title at just 13 years of age.