Russians end 25-year wait

TOKYO • Russia ended Asia's domination of the Olympic gymnastics men's team event yesterday after they survived a ferocious fightback from China and Japan at the Tokyo Games to claim the gold medal for the first time in 25 years.

Competing in Tokyo as representatives of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) - the country has been stripped of its flag and anthem here for state-sponsored doping offences - Nikita Nagornyy, Artur Dalaloya, David Belyavskiy and Denis Abliazin posted a winning total of 262.500 to go top of the podium, last achieved at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

What was expected to be a tight, tense battle between defending champions Japan, Russia and China was exactly that as the three powerhouses traded places over the six rotations.

The ROC won only after Nagornyy, the last athlete to compete, delivered a pressure-packed floor routine to secure victory for his team by just 0.103 of a point over the host nation.

China had entered the final rotation, topping the standings by 0.604 of a point, but finished with the bronze medal for the second consecutive Games.

Japan, Russia and China have claimed every men's team gold since the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, with the exception of the Soviet Union-boycotted 1984 Los Angeles Games, when the United States claimed the top prize.

It was a pity that there were no spectators to witness the nail-biting drama that filled the Ariake Gymnastics Centre, empty due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Through three-of-six rotations, the ROC had appeared to be heading for a romp after constructing a 2.6-point advantage over Japan, a poor effort by Daiki Hashimoto on the rings doing much of the damage after he earned only 13.833.

But over the next hour, the gap closed and by the time the teams stepped up to their final apparatus, everything was to play for.

Japan, third coming into their last event, turned up the pressure when Hashimoto atoned for his weak effort on the rings with a dazzling, high-flying display on the horizontal bar that drew him a mark of 15.100.

The score vaulted the hosts over China and into the lead as a poker-faced Nagornyy, the reigning all-around world champion, waited at the edge of the stage for his turn to compete on the floor exercise.

He powered his way through his routine and when the score finally flashed onto the board, the emotions the Russian quartet had tried to contain exploded in tears and joy.

Hashimoto and Nagornyy are due to meet again tomorrow in the individual all-around competition after finishing first and second in qualifying, but the latter warned Russia mean business with his sights trained on a second gold.

"There was news this morning that there was a typhoon moving towards Tokyo," said the 24-year-old.

"Well, the typhoon made it here and took gold, and is sitting in front of you now.

"I couldn't even breathe when I was waiting for it (the final score). I thought the time would never come."

Abliazin added: "We have been working for this medal for a long time. This has taken 25 years."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS