Kasumi Ishikawa
| Kasumi Ishikawa | |
|---|---|
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Kasumi Ishikawa (on the left) and Ai Fukuhara during the Table Tennis Pro Tour Grand Finals
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| Nickname(s) | Kasumi-chan, Kasumin |
| Nationality |
 Japan
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| Born |
February 23, 1993 Yamaguchi |
| Playing style | Left-handed, Shakehand grip, Looper |
| Equipment(s) | Clipper CR WRB, FastArc G-1, Tenergy 64 |
| Highest ranking | 4 (January 2015) |
| Current ranking | 5 (December 2016) |
| Club | ZEN-NOH, Japan |
| Height | 158 cm (5 ft 2 in) |
| Weight | 51 kg (112 lb; 8.0 st) |
Kasumi Ishikawa (石川 佳純 Ishikawa Kasumi?) (born 23 February 1993) is a female Japanese table tennis player. Her entire family, which consists of her father, mother, and younger sister, play or used to play competitive table tennis. She has a younger sister, Rira, who is also a professional table tennis player, while her mother Kumi Ishikawa is her current coach. She is a left-handed shakehand holder who primarily uses speedy top-spins and loops in offensive play.
Her ambition has been to play in the Olympics. This dream of hers began when she was a girl, and revealed upon graduation from Hirakawa Primary School in Yamaguchi. She wrote in the yearbook of her dream to play in the Olympics. She first got public attention when she managed to defeat high school and even university students much older than her in her first ever All Japan Table Tennis Championships. Since 2007, she has won the All Japan Table Tennis Championships - female junior division; four years in a row. She was also nicknamed Ai-Chan II, a comparison to fellow athlete Ai Fukuhara, who also started playing table tennis at a young age. She models her underspin serve after her.
Kasumi Ishikawa speaks Mandarin besides Japanese, as one of her coaches is from China. She also states that she hopes to learn English in time.
Her talent for table tennis was due partly to her parents, both former players, who gave Ishikawa special training since she was young. Her mother, Kumi Ishikawa, had played at the national level. In the autumn of her first year of primary school, a special practice area in their house was erected to help her train more seriously. After graduating from primary school, Ishikawa decided to live away from home and devote herself to table tennis. She entered Shitennoji Habikigaoka Middle School, and then Shitennoji High School in Osaka Prefecture. She practiced with all-Japan-Class players until late at night including holidays. Her aggressive attacking style coupled with formidable speed were developed there. She began working towards the Olympics and played in international tournaments representing her club; ZEN-NOH, Japan.
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