A new Japanese gymnastics star is born: Shinnosuke Oka looks to emulate Kohei Uchimura's success

PARIS – The spotlight at the men’s gymnastics at the Paris Olympics was always going to shine brightest on Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto, but it was Shinnosuke Oka, who triumphed in the all around, emerging from the shadow of his more decorated countryman.

The youngest of the five-man Japanese squad at age 20, Oka picked up his second gold medal on July 31, narrowly eclipsing two Chinese rivals. Tokyo 2020 champion Hashimoto, 22, trailed far behind.

Japan had earlier beaten China in the team event on July 29.

“I had a strong desire to win, and I knew that if I could beat Hashimoto, I could win the title,” Oka said. “It was really great that I was able to complete these Olympics without making any mistakes.”

The first-time Olympian added that he had constant encouragement from Hashimoto watching from nearby, even as his teammate’s quest for a second consecutive title started to look doomed.

Victorious three years ago, Hashimoto had been lauded as a worthy heir to “King Kohei” Uchimura, the two-time Olympic all-around champion considered as one of the greatest male gymnasts.

However, he finished sixth on July 31 and is the weakest link in the team during these Olympics.

Instead, it was Oka who exuded calm and confidence as he worked through routine after routine with no errors – unlike Hashimoto, silver medallist Zhang Boheng and practically every other competitor in the Bercy Arena.

“I just went out there with everything. I didn’t freak out, and I went big,” said Oka, who edged Zhang by just 0.233 of a point.

He admitted later that he did feel the nerves going into his last apparatus, the high bar, given the razor-thin point difference between him and 2021 world champion Zhang.

Mentally and skill-wise, there was still far more room for him to improve, he insisted.

“I really felt that (the two Chinese medallists) had a higher degree of perfection,” Oka said, sitting between Zhang and bronze medallist Xiao Ruoteng at a press conference.

“Zhang made a mistake on the floor, but I thought that it was impressive that he switched his mindset and performed (well) until the end.”

Hashimoto, whose Olympic preparations were disrupted by a finger injury, said he was not done, promising to return stronger after his failed bid to retain his title.

“I decided today I’m going to look inside myself, take stock of these past three years during which I wasn’t able to improve at all, reset and work towards the next Olympics and my next goals,” he added.

“The domestic level of Japanese gymnastics has improved, and it opens up a new future for us.”

There was some drama during the final. Canada’s Felix Dolci got a second chance to perform his entire horizontal bar routine after an equipment malfunction sent him flying off the apparatus.

After the 22-year-old effortlessly executed two breathtaking release-and-catch manoeuvres, he was swinging around the bar when unexpectedly his right handgrip snapped and he was flung off the bar and crashed onto the mat.

Still lying down, Dolci was examined by team staff before he walked away from the area, holding his snapped handgrip up to the crowd and showing off his badly bruised hand.

He returned 15 minutes later, after the other gymnasts in his rotation had completed their displays, for a second take.

Wearing a new grip on his right hand, Dolci mounted the bar again but suffered another crash landing while attempting the Kolman release-and-catch element.

He grimaced as he completed his dismount but after receiving boisterous applause from the crowd, he formed a heart shape with his hands to thank the spectators for their support.

The incident caused Dolci to drop from third at the end of the second rotation to 23rd.

Under current rules, a gymnast can get a second try at a routine if it is interrupted for a reason beyond his or her control, including equipment breakage.

In his next apparatus, the floor, Dolci seemed to have lost none of his composure, scoring a solid 14.366 points, the highest of his rotation. He eventually finished 20th.

Filipino Carlos Yulo, the only South-east Asian in the field, was 12th overall. REUTERS, AFP