Friendship first, competition second

Forever friends

Chinese table tennis star Liu Shiwen endured a difficult Olympics in Tokyo. The 2016 Rio champion missed out on gold in the mixed doubles final, and then was forced to quit the Games due to an elbow injury. The 30-year-old, though, was inundated with messages of encouragement from fans and friends. Among those offering support was retired Japanese paddler Ai Fukuhara, who has trained with and competed against Liu since they were kids. "Due to the pandemic, I'm now unable to come to you. But after all this is over, I will for sure visit you. We can eat barbecue skewers together and let's see who the taller one is now," Fukuhara said in a video message to her longtime friend. "I think now I'm taller than you, but I must be much heavier. Right now what you need to do is adjust your mindset. Just keep trying and I will always support you."