Mima Ito

Mima Ito, born on 21 October 2000, is a Japanese table tennis player. She won a bronze medal in the women's team event at the 2016 Summer Olympics at the age of 15. At the 2020 Summer Olympics she won gold in the inaugural mixed doubles event with her partner Jun Mizutani, bronze in the women's singles and silver in the women's team event. She is often described as the greatest threat to Chinese dominance of the sport and has the highest winning rate against Chinese players in the history of women's table tennis. Her signature style combines shovel serves, fast short-pimpled backhand punches and flat forehand smashes. In March 2020 she beat the reigning Olympic champion Ding Ning 4-0 in the Qatar Open semifinal, winning the third set 11-0.