1. Ai Fukuhara is a retired Japanese table tennis player and Olympic medalist, winning silver at the 2012 Summer Olympics and bronze at the 2016 Summer Olympics with the Japanese women's team.
18 Facts About Ai Fukuhara
1. 2.
The qualification entitled Ai Fukuhara to compete in Athens, at the age of 15 years and 287 days, as the youngest-ever female table tennis player to debut in the Olympic Games.
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Ai Fukuhara reached the round of 16 in her first Olympic Games, losing to bronze medalist Kim Kyung-Ah.
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Ai Fukuhara was directly qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics through world ranking.
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Ai Fukuhara was chosen as the national flag bearer for Japan at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
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Ai Fukuhara teamed up with Sayaka Hirano and Haruna Fukuoka at the women's team event.
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However, Japan failed to defeat China in the finals but Ai Fukuhara got her first silver medal ever in table tennis.
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Ai Fukuhara was playing for Japan in the Singles event and reached 4th place after losing against Li Xiaoxia and losing in the game for bronze against Kim Song-i.
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Ai Fukuhara won Table Tennis Women's Doubles with Kasumi Ishikawa.
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Ai Fukuhara carried the Olympic flame when it traveled to Tokyo in 2004.
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Ai Fukuhara carried the torch for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, and was the flag bearer for the Japanese national team at the Opening Ceremonies.
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Since she has been playing table tennis in China from a very young age, Ai Fukuhara can speak fluent Mandarin Chinese with a Northeastern accent.
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In July 2005, Ai Fukuhara guest-starred alongside Chinese actor Jackie Chan during the opening of a photograph exhibition, in Roppongi Hills, to celebrate 60 years of peaceful coexistence between China and Japan.
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Ai Fukuhara attended Aomori Yamada Junior High School and graduated from Aomori Yamada High School in 2007.
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Ai Fukuhara is fluent in Mandarin and speaks with a distinctly Northeastern accent, as a result of her time in Liaoning and her close relationship with personal coach Tang Yuanyuan.
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Ai Fukuhara has been a well-loved sport celebrity among Chinese players and fans, who often affectionately call her "Ai-chan".
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Ai Fukuhara married Taiwanese table tennis player Chiang Hung-chieh in 2016 following the Rio Olympics.
18.
Ai Fukuhara gave birth to their daughter on Friday 13 October 2017.