Ai Fukuhara Is Officially Retiring

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Roughly 40 minutes ago, Fukuhara made a long post on her Weibo announcing her retirement.

https://www.weibo.com/5950061090/GEXZC9Hij?type=comment
亲爱的朋友们大家好

今天我想跟大家说一件事情。
我福原愛,要退役乒乓球选手了。

从里约奥运结束之后,想了很久很久几乎每天在想这个问题。
有时候两天换一个想法,但终于自己算出来一个答案。
所以今天想跟大家分享一下。

首先 谢谢大家到今天的支持。
没有你们的支持,我今天绝对没有办法到这个地步。

第一次去中国练球的是五岁的时候。
我记得从来没打过那么多球,第一次打完腿酸到睡不着。
每天早餐吃的油条特别的好吃,
到现在我还能记得当时的味道。
从那一年开始,每年的暑假都训练去一个月,
让我开始跟大家有了许多链接与感情。
在东北,我学会了东北话,
在那里,我认识了就像家人一样的媛姐跟大金。

谢谢各省队,让我在您们的队练球,
一去中国练球,感觉到我的球进步了不少。
虽然练的很苦,可是每次回到日本打比赛就特别的有自信,也有好的成绩。

我从三岁开始打乒乓球
今年要三十岁了,人生中大部分的时间都关于在球上。
在人生中重要的事情 , 都是乒乓球教我的。

也许很多球迷期待着我继续征战,
也常常告诉我东京奥运加油,我似乎辜负了大家的期望。
但其实我并不是难过着宣布退役,
从小三岁多就打乒乓球,我一直认为把日本乒乓球变得更好是我的责任与使命。
在两年前结婚的记者会上,我曾经说过自己希望先把家庭组好,
再回来打乒乓球。
回头一看, 现在很多很棒的学妹们在那里,
我能安心、放下自己给自己的压力了。
我想做一些帮助乒乓球界变好的事情,
向更多人推广乒乓球、让更多人知道乒乓球的美好。

对我来说乒乓球是一个恩人。
我希望我的人生的下一个阶段,不要忘记这个感恩的心,
我想孝顺乒乓球界,
更想对一直到今天都支持我的你们说一句:
真的很谢谢。

福原愛
2018/10/21
English Translation:

Dear friends:

Today I want to tell you something.
I, Ai Fukuhara, will retire from professional table tennis.

Ever since the end of the Rio Olympics, I've thought about it for a long time and almost every day.
Sometimes I change my mind for two days, but I finally figured out an answer.
So I want to share with you today.

First of all, thank you all for your support till this day.
Without your support, I wouldn't have reached this point today.

The first time I went to China to train was when I was 5 years old.
I remember that I had never played so much. I couldn't sleep after the first session.
The youtiao[Chinese cruller] that I ate every morning were especially delicious.
I can still remember the taste of the time.
Starting that year, it'd been a month-long training every summer vacation.
It started giving me lots of networking and feelings with everyone.
In the Northeast[China], I learned the Northeastern Mandarin,
There, I met sister Yuan[Tang Yuanyuan, known as Risa Chan in Japan] and Da Jin[Jin Huimei] who're like my family.

Thank you to the provincial teams for letting me practice in your team,
Whenever I went to China to train, I felt that I'd always improved a lot.
Although the training was very hard, every time I returned to Japan to play, I was particularly confident and had good results.

I started playing table tennis from the age of 3.
I am 30 years old this year, and most of my life has been about table tennis.
Table tennis has taught me all the important things in life.

Perhaps many fans are looking forward to my playing on,
and often tell me to keep up for Tokyo Olympics, I seem to have let down everyone’s expectations.
But in fact, I am not sad to announce my retirement,
I have been playing table tennis since I was 3 years old, I always think that it is my responsibility and mission to make Japanese table tennis better.
At the press conference for my wedding 2 years ago, I once said that I hoped to build a family first,
before coming back to table tennis.
Looking back, there are a lot of up-and-coming girls out there now,
I can rest assured and let go of my burden.
I want to do something to help the table tennis industry get better.
Promoting table tennis to more people and let more people know the beauty of table tennis.

For me, table tennis is a benefactor.
I hope that for the next stage of my life, to not forget this grateful heart,
I want to be filial to the table tennis industry.
I also want to say something to you who support me all the way to the present day:
Thank you very much.

Ai Fukuhara
2018/10/21
 
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says Shoo...nothing to see here. - zeio
says Shoo...nothing to see here. - zeio
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Added English translation.
 
says Shoo...nothing to see here. - zeio
says Shoo...nothing to see here. - zeio
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She gave birth to her daughter あいら(Aira) a year or so ago. As she stated, the new high-school girls are strong enough to take over the baton.
 
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She has already stopped playing table tennis for 2-3 years already
Went from a WR top 10 table tennis pro to a full time house wife/mom to a player outside WR100
I guess she is one of the lucky ones to rather have life after table tennis in her 20s.
 
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In her recent interviews, she said the best thing that TT brought her was her husband, and she thinks now it's more like her destiny with TT wasn't to win gold but just a way to find Mr. Big

She may have not won big titles and she revived the interest for TT in Japan, and all the new generation of players like HIRANO or ITO grew up with Ai-Chan being their idol and model.
 
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In her recent interviews, she said the best thing that TT brought her was her husband, and she thinks now it's more like her destiny with TT wasn't to win gold but just a way to find Mr. Big

She may have not won big titles and she revived the interest for TT in Japan, and all the new generation of players like HIRANO or ITO grew up with Ai-Chan being their idol and model.

So Her goal for playing table tennis was Finding BF and turning him to be his husband ( Joke ) I know some of the Table tennis couples like Liu Guoliang and His wife Or Xu xin and his wife , ALSO Tang Peng and Tie yana . It feels like Table tennis couples are happy together , But also Zhang jike and Liu shiwen were couples too but not successful . I Also wish Ai chan to be happy and not completely say good bye to Table tennis .
 
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So Her goal for playing table tennis was Finding BF and turning him to be his husband ( Joke ) I know some of the Table tennis couples like Liu Guoliang and His wife Or Xu xin and his wife , ALSO Tang Peng and Tie yana . It feels like Table tennis couples are happy together , But also Zhang jike and Liu shiwen were couples too but not successful . I Also wish Ai chan to be happy and not completely say good bye to Table tennis .

I was having lunch with Chiang's personal coach, and he said he was the last one in his team to know of the relationship
every player knew, and the coach only knew when he was given a wedding invitation
 
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I was having lunch with Chiang's personal coach, and he said he was the last one in his team to know of the relationship
every player knew, and the coach only knew when he was given a wedding invitation

I guess his coach could read some news to know Lol , but anyway Ai chan could continue her career
 
says Shoo...nothing to see here. - zeio
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BTW, Fukuhara also posted on her official blog at Ameba.

https://ameblo.jp/fukuhara-ai-blog/entry-12410681371.html
皆さまこんにちは!



ご無沙汰しております。

朝晩はだいぶ涼しく感じるようになりましたが、皆様いかがお過しでしょうか?



Tリーグの開幕が近づき、私も今までとは違う立場で卓球と向き合うようになり、色々と考えることも多くなりましたが、最近ようやく自分の中で答えが見つかりました。



今日は、これまでの長い間、ずっと支え続けてくださった皆様に、自分の言葉でご報告したいことがありますので、ブログを書かせていただきます。



私は選手としての立場を、ここで一区切りつけることを決意しました。



2016年のリオオリンピックから二年が経ち、結婚や出産を経験し、日々育児に励みつつも、競技のことが頭から離れることはありませんでした。

3歳から卓球を始め、約26年の間、多くのことを学ばせていただきました。



とてもおこがましく身勝手かも知れませんが・・・これまでの私は、これからも卓球界を引っ張っていくため、子育てをしながら競技を続ける必要があると思っていました。



リオオリンピック以降は、新しいお仕事などに携わる中で、周りの方々が私に求めるものが、これまでと違ってきていると感じることもありました。



福原愛選手と呼ばれることよりも、卓球の愛ちゃん、と呼んでくれる方の方が多く、小さい頃から日本全国の皆様からの温かい応援や励ましをいただき、そして育ててもらいました。初対面の方にも「大きくなったねえ」と言われることも多かったです。



結婚する際、家庭としての軸を作りたい、そしてまた選手としての軸に戻ってきます、そして後輩のために新しい道を作っていきたい、と話したのを覚えておりますが、皆様がご存知の通り、この2年間で次世代の選手達が大きな成長を遂げ、日本の卓球界全体が以前より盛り上がってきました。



とても嬉しく感じるのと同時に、知らない内に私自身で勝手に感じていた肩の重みが、すっと抜けるような感覚があり、私が選手としてできることはやり切った、頑張り抜いた、という思いが強くなり、自分が選手としての立場でやるべき使命は果たせたかな、と感じるようになりました。



もう私が選手として卓球界を引っ張っていかなくても大丈夫、後輩たちがさらに飛躍し、日本代表として頑張ってほしい、という想いです。



この二年間、色々な立場を経験する中で、選手としての立場で後輩たちに新しい道を作ることよりも、別な形で携わることにより、これまで以上に若い世代が成長しやすい環境を作るなど、私が卓球界、スポーツ界に貢献していけるのでは、と考えています。



3歳9か月でラケットを握り始め、10歳でプロ宣言、11歳の時にはナショナルチームでの活動が始まりました。高校時代は中国超級リーグにも参戦するなど、長い間、本当に多くの経験をさせていただきました。オリンピックでは、アテネ、北京、ロンドン、リオ、と4度出場することができ、日本代表として2個のメダルを獲得できたことは誇りに思いますし、これまでの全ては私の財産です。



このように思えるのは、どんな状況でも私を温かく見守り、応援してくださったファンの皆様、なかなか結果が出ないときや怪我をしている時にでも、いつも変わらずにサポートしてくださったスポンサーの皆様、苦しいことも嬉しいことも側にいて、一緒に乗り越えてくれた張コーチ、怪我をしていて一番難しかった時期を支えてくれた美香先生、フィジカル面を強化してくださったトレーナーの中野ジェームズ修一コーチ、最高の状態で試合に臨めるよう10年間フィッティングパートナーをしてくれた金さん、そして時には私を引っ張り、時には背中を押し、叱咤激励してくれたスタッフ、そして家族のおかげです。



何度もやめようかと考えたことはありましたが、一度も卓球を嫌いになることはありませんでした。そんな風に思えるものと出会わせてくれた母と兄に感謝の気持ちでいっぱいです。



私は生涯卓球人なので、卓球という軸がぶれることは一生ありません。

コートから離れて更に卓球が好きになった気がします。

これからは選手とは別な立場で、これまで支え続けてくれた皆様に、卓球を通して恩返しをしていきたいです。



卓球以外のことをほとんど経験したことがないので、皆様にご迷惑やご心配をおかけすることもあるかと思いますが、一歩ずつ前に、自分らしく、人生を終える時に今日のようにやりきった、と思えるような日々を過ごせるよう、これから邁進していきます。そして人の役に立ち、必要とされる中身のある人間を目指してまいります。



また選手としてプレーしているところを観たい、と言ってくださった皆様、ご期待に添えられず申し訳ありません。皆様からいただいた言葉を胸に、次のステップへ進もうと思います。



これまで温かく応援していただき、ありがとうございました。

これからもよろしくお願いいたします!



福原愛
 
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I guess his coach could read some news to know Lol , but anyway Ai chan could continue her career

His coach is very old school (Wu Wen Jia), he is hardly on social media

Well, if Ai Chan wanted to continuing to play, I guess they will move to Japan rather to locate in Taiwan
Japan has a better facility for both husband and wife.
but since Ai Chan is still following Japanese tradition and following where the husband goes, I guess her best option to settle down and be a mom and wife.
I guess the rising teenage stars of Japan has got a lot to do with her decision post Rio, as these players all look at Olympic cycle. Post Rio, there was a good chance that Ai Chan won't be in the Tokyo squad, so that was possibly one of the deciding factors
Say if the new generation was weaker, Ai Chan could continue to play (just like some of the other "moms" out there

Indeed Ai Chan did great for the sport
not just in Japan, but in China also
She has so much fans and will be forever loved by the table tennis families around the world
 
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