At the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games team formation ceremony, 17-year-old Japanese table tennis rising star Ryusei Kawakami announced a bold push for two gold medals in men’s singles and mixed doubles, as reported by 163.com and QQ.com.
Kawakami Targets Double Gold at Dakar Youth Olympic Games
The 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games are scheduled to take place from October 31 to November 13 in Senegal. During the official team formation ceremony, 17-year-old Ryusei Kawakami declared his intention to secure a pair of titles. I want to win, and the feeling of wanting to take the gold medal is very strong,
Kawakami said, according to 163.com. If he succeeds, he will match the feat of Koki Niwa, who remains the last Japanese table tennis player to claim two gold medals at a Youth Olympic event a decade ago.
Rapid Rise in World Rankings and International Debut in Africa
Kawakami established his credentials as a next-generation ace candidate by winning the boys’ singles title at the World Youth Championships (Under-19) last year. Over the past year, he has aggressively contested senior-level international tournaments. His world ranking surged from No. 152 to No. 61, making him the eighth-ranked men’s player in Japan. Although his path to securing a berth for the Los Angeles Olympic Games remains difficult, he maintains that he wants to tackle the challenge and has set a goal of cracking the world’s top 30.
A high-water mark of his senior career arrived at the WTT Star Contender Astana, where he defeated China’s 2005-generation standout Chen Yuanyu 3-2 in the round of 32, closing out the decisive game with a 10-0 scoreline. While Kawakami has traveled extensively for youth and senior competitions, the upcoming trip to Dakar marks his first athletic journey to the African continent. When asked about his debut visit, the teenager smiled and asked whether he might spot giraffes or other wildlife during the trip.
Matsushima Miku Appointed Flagbearer Alongside Newai Tsukudo
The Japanese Olympic Committee also announced the flagbearers for the Dakar Youth Olympic Games, naming 13-year-old table tennis player Miku Matsushima as the female flagbearer and Tsukudo Newai as the male judo flagbearer. Miku Matsushima is the younger sister of Tomokazu Matsushima, who currently holds the world No. 1 ranking in men’s singles. Miku currently holds the world No. 1 ranking in the International Table Tennis Federation’s youth rankings across the Under-13, Under-15, and Under-17 categories, alongside a No. 2 ranking in the Under-19 division.
Matsushima Miku is competing in the WTT Youth Contender event at the Beijing Shougang Park, where she entered both the Under-15 and Under-19 brackets. In the Under-19 women’s singles round of 16, she defeated China’s Feng Yixuan 4-1 to advance to the quarterfinals, where she is slated to face another Chinese competitor, Zhao Wangqi. She also advanced to the quarterfinals of the Under-15 tournament, with Feng Shuo awaiting her in the next round.
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