PARIS (Reuters) – For the 32 women’s and men’s teams in the Paris Olympics table tennis the matches are about representing their country, but for the many siblings amongst them it is also about representing their family and the shared last name they hold dear.
At least eight sibling pairs are among the 96 athletes competing in the table tennis team events, a higher-than-usual percentage in the world of top-level competitive sports.
Some of these athletes come from families with deep-rooted table tennis traditions, while others were inspired by the desire to follow in the footsteps of an older sibling, finding joy in the sport and keeping each other company.
One of the best known sibling duos in the sport, French favourites Alexis and Felix Lebrun, have cheered for each other on and off the courts.
“Table tennis is a family sport. It’s always a part of my family,” said Felix, who ran to hug his brother after his bronze medal win for France, the first in the sport since 2000.
“I live my dream to be here with my brother,” added Felix, who hails from a family where their father was a French champion and their uncle an Olympian.
When the younger Lebrun felt nervous before his medal match, he turned to his brother Alexis for support, especially since Alexis had been eliminated by the same opponent, Brazil’s Hugo Calderano, earlier in the singles.
Sweden’s Anton Kallberg echoed the influence of family on his decision to take up table tennis, as well as that of his younger sister Christina. Both are competing in their second Olympics together.
“I would say our parents played a big part. My dad, my mum, even my uncle and grandfather played a bit, so I pretty much had no choice but to get into table tennis,” said Kallberg.
DREAM FULFILLED
Not every Olympian table tennis sibling was inspired by their parents. For 19-year-old Brazilian Guilia Takahashi, it was her sister Bruna, five years her senior, who provided the inspiration.
“I play because of her. When I was six, I watched her play and thought, why not? Then I started to play, and this is my life now,” said Takahashi, who described going to the Olympics with her sister as a dream come true.
Competing in sport with a close family member is not always easy. Rivalry between siblings, most famously demonstrated by the Williams sisters in tennis, can add complexity.
The Lebrun brothers, while teammates at the Olympics, often face each other in singles competitions, where Alexis has a better record despite Felix’s higher world ranking.
Even siblings competing in different gender categories can feel the pressure brought on by their older counterparts.
“For the older sibling, if it works out, it works out; but for the younger one, they’re under so much more attention and pressure to perform,” said Japanese table tennis player Tomokazu Harimoto, who also comes from a table tennis family.
“I have a lot of respect for my sister. She faces so much pressure yet still delivers and continues to improve,” Harimoto said of 16-year-old Miwa, who is making her Olympic debut in Japan’s women’s team.
Harimoto mentioned that while there are no current plans it would be very special to play mixed doubles with his sister at future Olympics.
Off the courts, travelling for tournaments with siblings can help combat homesickness. In the Olympics Village, Brazil’s Giulia Takahashi, 19, shares a room with her sister Bruna, 24.
“It’s like my house, I can do whatever I want. She takes care of me and wakes me up every morning,” she said giggling.
And how do their parents back home feel? “Double proud for the double trouble,” said Bruna.
(Reporting by Krystal Hu in Paris, Editing by Ken Ferris)
