Daiki Hashimoto nails gymnastics team world title for Japan, coming from behind to beat holders China
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Japan's Daiki Hashimoto after his routine on the parallel bars during the men's team final on Oct 3.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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ANTWERP – Daiki Hashimoto delivered with his final routine to ensure Japan regained gymnastics’ team world title on Tuesday in Antwerp, calling it the “happiest gold medal of my life”.
Japan, the silver medallists in 2022, scored 255.594 to finish 1.80 points ahead of defending champions China.
“I’ve competed in the team event since 2019, but got only silver and bronze medals,” said Hashimoto, who was the 2022 all-around champion.
“Finally, I got a gold medal, which is the one I really wanted. I’m very happy.
“This is the happiest gold medal in my life. It carries far more weight than my individual gold.
“It really pleases me that we’ve ground out the win here, something we can build on for the Paris Olympics next year.”
The Japanese team comprising Hashimoto, Kazuma Kaya, Kenta Chiba, Kazuki Minami and Kaito Sugimoto did not get off to the best start in Belgium, making mistakes in the first two apparatuses, the floor exercise and pommel horse.
They trailed the Chinese by 2.466 points after three of six routines, before Minami’s 15.000 points in the vault put them ahead. Japan secured their lead in the parallel bars from Hashimoto, Kaya and Sugimoto.
“I absolutely couldn’t make a mistake,” said team captain Kaya, who was solid as the first performer in all five apparatuses he attempted.
“I was determined to pass on the baton to the next one at any cost. I’m really happy as all of my performances were good.”
Japan’s last man Hashimoto then nailed his final landing on the horizontal bar to seal victory.
The United States completed the podium with 252.428 points. Britain were fourth on 249.461.
Japan, who had dominated qualifying on Sunday, took the team title for the seventh time.
And it was thanks to Hashimoto – the Olympic all-around and horizontal bar champion in Tokyo in 2021 – and his teammates that Japan won their first world crown since 2015. They had finished on the podium in the three world championships after that, winning two bronzes and a silver.
Having squeezed into the final with an eighth-placed qualifying finish, the Chinese bounced back on Tuesday, but two falls by Su Weide on the horizontal bar cost them dearly.
“I was motivated by my elder teammates during the competition. Unfortunately, I made mistakes twice,” said Su.
“I need to review the video to see what happened to me, possibly a mentality issue I guess. Perhaps it’s because I was not determined enough. Our team might have been the champions had I finished well.”
On Thursday, Hashimoto will attempt to become the first man to win back-to-back world all-around titles since compatriot Kohei Uchimura took the last of his six consecutive victories in 2015.
“We still have the all-around coming,” he said in Japanese when asked whether he planned to celebrate the team title, before adding in English: “Long sleeping.”
The competition continued on Wednesday with the women’s team final, where American Simone Biles, back after a two-year hiatus, could claim her 26th world medal.
The result was not available at press time. AFP, XINHUA
