A shocking reversal on the Olympic stage
On July 28, 2024, the first day of competition at the Paris Olympics, an unexpected "Japan rout" surprised sports fans around the world.
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The Japan team, which was supposed to be determined to win, was completely wiped out in five major events, and this scene cannot help but remind people of the old saying: "Proud soldiers will lose, and modesty will win."
From the aura of Tokyo's home stadium to the exotic home of Paris, what kind of journey has the Japan team experienced?
Is it a lack of strength, or is it bad luck?
Let's unravel the mystery of this earth-shattering reversal.
Daiki Hashimoto's unexpected misstep
In the world of gymnastics, Daiki Hashimoto can be described as a thunderous name.
As the horizontal bar champion at the Tokyo Olympics, he should have done it again in Paris.
However, fate seems to have played a joke on him.
In the horizontal bar competition, Daiki Hashimoto's performance can be described as "unsatisfactory".
Although his movements were smooth, there were major mistakes in the most critical landing link.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, his body lost his balance, and he stumbled and fell to the ground.
This scene made the audience at the scene and the audience in front of the TV exclaim.
This mistake directly caused Daiki Hashimoto to miss out on the horizontal bar final, and the dream of the defending champion was shattered.
You know, the Japan team regarded him as the ace of the gymnastics event, and such a mistake was undoubtedly a huge blow.
Recall that at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, Daiki Hashimoto clearly stepped on the mat in the vault event, but still won the gold medal in the men's gymnastics individual all-around with a controversial high score, beating China's Xiao Ruoteng.
The 14.7 score at the time was incredible for many viewers and professionals alike.
However, Paris is not Tokyo.
There is no home field advantage and no biased referees.
Daiki Hashimoto has to face his true self, and this true self does not seem to be enough to sustain the title of "Japan's gymnastics ace".
An unexpected exit in table tennis mixed doubles
In the table tennis mixed doubles event, the Japan team sent Tomokazu Zhangmoto and Hina Hayata, who are known as the "strongest combination".
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They were supposed to be China's toughest opponents, but they suffered a waterloo in the first round.
Facing the unknown North Korean pair Lee Jung-sik/Kim Qin-young, Tomokazu Jang and Hina Hayada were eliminated with a score of 1:4.
This result not only caught the Japan team off guard, but even China's Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin were surprised.
After the game, Tomokazu Zhang and Hina Hayada both shed tears on the field, which couldn't help but make people sigh.
Their dreams were shattered in the first round, and they lost even the chance to compete for a medal.
The men's volleyball team and men's basketball team both lost
In the team events, Japan's performance was equally disappointing.
In the men's volleyball match, Japan was beaten three games in a row by Germany in a good situation of leading 2:0, and finally suffered a 2:3 defeat.
This match fully demonstrated the lack of consistency of the Japan team at key moments.
The men's basketball game was a complete rout.
Facing a strong Germany team, Japan fell into passivity from the beginning of the game and finally lost by a huge score difference of 20 points.
Such a score gap is not only a gap in strength, but also a psychological collapse.
An unexpected failure in the judo event
Judo has always been Japan's traditional strength, and they have won numerous gold medals in this event.
However, at this Olympics, the performance of the Japan team was shocking.
Nagayama Natsuki, who had high hopes, suffered a shock loss to his Spain opponent in the match.
What's even more incredible is that Nagayama Natsuki refused to leave the game after losing the match, and did not shake hands or bow to his opponent for three minutes.
This kind of disrespect for opponents and competitive spirit has greatly damaged the image of the Japan team.
From Tokyo to Paris: The Loss of the Home Halo
Looking back at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, the Japan team achieved good results in several events with home advantage.
However, when the venue was shifted from Tokyo to Paris, the Japan team seemed to lose that protective cover.
In Paris, there is no home crowd to cheer on, no familiar environment, and no possible "home whistle".
Japan athletes have had to confront the real international competition environment, which is obviously much more brutal than they imagined.
Psychological factors: a huge gap between expectations and reality
Japan's defeat at the Olympics may largely stem from psychological factors.
As hosts of the last Olympic Games, they have achieved good results in several events.
This success may have given them the illusion that they are among the top in the world.
However, when they come to Paris and face a real international competitive environment, this self-confidence can turn into a psychological burden.
The huge gap between high expectations and realistic performance may have left Japan athletes in a psychological dilemma.
Media pressure: a double-edged sword effect
Japan media have always had high hopes for their own athletes, and their pre-competition reports were full of optimism and anticipation.
However, this expectation has also become a double-edged sword.
When athletes fail to live up to expectations, pressure from the media and the public can further affect their performance.
Psychological reconstruction of athletes
With such a dismal start, the most important task for the Japan team now is to help the athletes rebuild their confidence.
In particular, how a star player like Daiki Hashimoto rises from defeat will directly affect the overall performance of the Japan team in the next matches.
The Rise of Rivals: The Rise of World Athleticism
The defeat of the Japan team also reflects the overall improvement of the world's competitive level from another perspective.
The emergence of "dark horses" like the North Korean table tennis team shows that more and more countries are investing a lot of resources in the field of sports, and the competition has become more intense.
Looking ahead: learning from the pain
Despite a bad start, the Olympics have only just begun.
This defeat could be an important turning point for Japan.
It may prompt Japan's sports community to re-examine its training methods, talent development system, and even its entire sports strategy.
Sometimes, failure can be the driving force for progress.
As the saying goes, "failure is the mother of success", this setback may inspire Japan athletes to be more motivated and gain valuable experience for future competitions.
[I have to say]: The comprehensive defeat of the Japan team at the Olympics this time taught us a vivid life lesson.
It tells us that success is temporary, and only continuous progress can be invincible.
As the famous saying goes, "Pride makes a person backward, but humility makes a person progress."
"Whether it's on the sports field or on the road of life, staying humble and constantly working hard is the real magic weapon to win.
Let's look forward to more exciting moments in the next competitions, and wish all athletes the best on the field and present us with one exciting match after another!
#Japan Judo ace refused to leave the field after losing ##张本智和碎了##日媒: Japan table tennis Olympic championship dream is shattered#