Japanese men’s top goal in Paris is beating China for gymnastics team gold

TOKYO – Having missed the men’s gymnastics team title by a hair at the Tokyo Olympics, Japan are determined to beat their biggest rivals China to take gold in Paris, setting that as their top priority.

Three years ago, the Russians beat Japan by 0.103 of a point – a figure that etched itself into the minds of the team and their head coach, who will be returning to the Olympics looking to erase those painful memories.

“We had the bitter experience of losing by the narrowest of margins, of 0.103,” all-around title holder Daiki Hashimoto told Reuters after a team training session in Tokyo.

“I want us to win that gold and enjoy the view from the podium.”

Revenge may not taste as sweet, though, as Japan and China will battle it out without Russia, with the country banned from taking part in team events over its attack on Ukraine since 2022.

The three powerhouses have claimed every men’s team gold since the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, with the exception of the Soviet-boycotted 1984 Los Angeles Games, when the United States took the title.

“After losing to Russia by 0.103 in Tokyo, we’ve been working hard towards Paris fuelled by a sense of revenge, so that’s a bit sad that they won’t be there,” said Japan head coach Hisashi Mizutori, a former team gold medallist.

“Still, it’s a big chance for us to grab that medal, so we’ll do what we need to do.”

A victory by Japan would extend the record they hold to eight men’s team golds, and their athletes said they had every confidence to do so thanks to a well-balanced team and their superior collective “D-score”, or difficulty score, over China.

Based on simulations of the teams’ routines on the six apparatuses, Japan’s D-score tally was likely to top China’s, Mizutori said, meaning the key over the remaining weeks would be to polish the routines and minimise any mistakes.

“That was quite a surprise, since China had long had a higher D-score than Japan,” said Kazuma Kaya, who won bronze in the pommel horse in Tokyo.

“In that sense, we have the strongest five members this time.”

The 22-year-old Hashimoto – who is still nursing a finger injury – and Kaya will be joined by Wataru Tanigawa, Takaaki Sugino and 20-year-old Shinnosuke Oka on the team in Paris.

Led by Hashimoto, Japan took the world championships title in October 2023 with a total score of 255.594 points – almost two points ahead of China – though the runners-up were without their ace all-rounder Zhang Boheng.

With the 24-year-old Zhang added to the Olympic roster this time, China will be a formidable force, Mizutori warned, allowing Japan little room for error. REUTERS