Known as a table tennis genius since she was just three years old, Ai Fukuhara, now a sixth grader at Taisho Kita Elementary School in Yao, Osaka Prefecture, has become the youngest girl ever to be a member of the all-Japan table tennis squad.

At 11 years and 7 months old, Fukuhara, better known by her nickname "Ai-chan", was also the youngest ever to participate in an international tournament sponsored by the International Table Tennis Federation.

The tournament, the Ogimura Cup Japan Open, was held in Kobe from June 15 to 18. Since good performances at this event could put players in better position to head to the Sydney Olympics, high-ranking male and female table-tennis players from around the world gathered to compete at the tournament.

Ai-chan cleared the qualifying rounds by defeating American and Brazilian players, both members of their respective national teams for the Sydney Olympics. In the tournament, however, she was eliminated by a Hong Kong player ranked 63rd in the world.

Kinji Kondo, manager of the women's national team, said Ai-chan has an excellent talent as a table tennis player. "If she tries really hard, Ai-chan may have a chance of getting to play in the 2004 Athens Olympics," he said.

Becoming Japan's first professional female ping-pong player in spring 1999, Ai-chan made the semi-finals in women's singles for the juniors (17 or younger) division of the Japan Table Tennis Championships last December. She also won two matches against adults in the seniors division at the same tournament, which according to a table tennis federation official was probably the first time that an elementary school player has won a match in the seniors division since the all-Japan tournament's history began in 1936.

She practices four to five hours on weekdays, and about eight hours on Sundays and holidays. Though almost invincible for her age, Ai-chan said she still feels shaky every time she plays a match and gets relaxed only after she makes the first point of the game.

Asked about her goal in playing table tennis, Ai-chan said she wants to be the world's number one player. "It's not really a goal yet. It's still just a dream," she added with a shy smile.

Photos (from top): Ai-chan in tournament action(JIJI); training hard at home. (Asahi Shogakusei Shimbun).