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BRAZIL QUALIFIES FOR TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES AT LIMA 2019 VENUE
The men’s and women’s teams obtained a quota at the pre-Olympic table tennis tournament that took place at VIDENA.
The modern Sports Center 3, built specially for the Pan American and Parapan American Games competitions, bore witness to Brazil qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The sports stage, located in the National Sports Village (VIDENA), hosted the pre-Olympic table tennis tournament from Friday 25 to Sunday 27. The best men’s and women’s teams obtained a quota for the Olympic Games, which take place next year. Among these teams was Brazil, that took the title in the most important tournament to have taking place after the Lima 2019 Games.
The Brazilians won the title in women’s by defeating Puerto Rico 3-0 in the last round, while in men’s they beat Argentina 3-2 in the final.
The first team consisted of Jessica Yamada, Caroline Kumahara and Bruna Takahashi—ranked 53 in the world—, who beat Puerto Rico’s Adriana Díaz—number 27 in world ranking and gold medal winner at Lima 2019—, her sister Melanie Díaz and Daniely Ríos.
The men’s Brazilian team consisted of the current Lima 2019 champion, Hugo Calderano; number 6 in the world ranking, Vitor Ishiy; and Gustavo Tsuboi, who beat the Argentinian team, Pablo Tabachnik, Gastón Alto and Horacio Sifuentes, 3-2 in a tough and dramatic match that lasted more than three hours.
The men’s team triumphed over Peru (3-0) and Chile (3-0) in their first matches in the round-robin competition. The women’s team beat Chile and Peru, as well as Puerto Rico in the final.
This is the first major tournament to be held in Peru after the Pan American and Parapan American Games ended, as a qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Over one thousand people attended this international competition. It is worth nothing that Carlos Neuhaus, president of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee, participated in the opening ceremony.