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Yomiuri Shimbun photos Top: From left, Takaaki Sugino, Wataru Tanigawa, Kazuma Kaya, Shinnosuke Oka and Daiki Hashimoto celebrate with a Japan flag after winning gold at the Paris Olympics in Paris on Monday. Bottom: Daiki Hashimoto raises his arms after his horizontal bar performance in the men’s team artistic gymnastics final at the Paris Olympics on Monday.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
16:31 JST, July 30, 2024
PARIS – Japan men’s team won the gold medal in artistic gymnastics for the first time in two games, edging out China in a white-knuckle final at the Paris Olympics on Monday.
The team finished with a total score of 259.594 points, just 0.532 ahead of China.
All members of the Japan team looked up at the scoreboard with praying eyes after the final rotation. When the victory was announced, they formed a circle and embraced each other. Team ace Daiki Hashimoto screamed, and captain Kazuma Kaya collapsed to the ground and cried.
China had led Japan by more than 3 points going into their final rotation on the horizontal bar, but the team never gave up, despite the seemingly insurmountable gap, and seized a miraculous turnaround.
Japan’s first gymnast Takaaki Sugino completed a good performance. The first Chinese gymnast botched his landing, but the gap was still wide. Shinnosuke Oka scored high, and the next China gymnast fell from the bar twice. Then, with Japan now slightly ahead of China, the title was left in the hands of Hashimoto.
Hashimoto had made many mistakes in the qualifications, and also fell in the final during his pommel horse performance. “I’ve been helped by everyone all the way. I’m going to let go of my weak feelings. I will fight for everyone,” said Hashimoto.
He pulled off a powerful dismount technique, stuck the landing, and pumped his fist in the air. The final Chinese athlete pulled together an impressive routine, but Japan finished just over half a point ahead.
“This is the first Olympics since Kohei Uchimura, the absolute champion, retired. A part of our homework was to make a team that would not rely on anyone else, or rather, to ‘graduate from Uchimura,’” according to member of the team’s staff.
“I was happy to be able to compete with everyone’s thoughts and feelings on my shoulders,” said Hashimoto.
The team slogan was “Make New History!” Japan certainly did that.
