When a competition commences, our eyes usually follow a prescribed path. We note the flight of a shuttlecock or a ball. We examine its direction, spin, speed and the response to it. We register grunts, dives, leaps and the stylish swing of a racket. But with Akane Yamaguchi it’s best to look elsewhere. 

In a sport ostensibly of the hands, it is best to look at her feet. She scampers sideways, bounds backwards and scuttles forward. Her legs are immensely strong and her sneakered feet are uncommonly fast. If you put classical music on, it would seem she’s choreographing an athletic ballet.