Kanami Furukawa

Started: She began playing table tennis in middle school. (bs-asahi.co.jp, 22 Jun 2019) Reason: She was invited to join a club by a friend. (bs-asahi.co.jp, 22 Jun 2019) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (rkb.jp, 31 Jul 2023) Milestones: She became the first Japanese Para table tennis player to win a medal in the TT11 singles event at the world championships when she claimed bronze at the 2018 edition of the tournament in Lasko, Slovenia. (SportsDeskOnline, 21 Apr 2021; fujitv.co.jp, 01 Aug 2020) Additional Info: DANCE TRAINING She used dance moves to help her learn the tomahawk serve technique. "When I was struggling to remember this skill, my coach told me to move my body like I was dancing to music, particularly a song called 'Choo Choo Train' by Japanese boy band Exile." (fujitv.co.jp, 01 Aug 2020; sponichi.co.jp, 06 Jul 2020)