Japan beats China in thrilling final to win gold in men’s gymnastics team; Hashimoto delivers miraculous turnaround

PARIS – Japan’s men’s team has won its first gold medal in artistic gymnastics in two events, beating China in a thrilling final at the Paris Olympics on Monday.

The team finished with a total score of 259.594 points, just 0.532 points more than China.

All members of the Japanese team looked at the scoreboard with prayerful eyes after the final rotation. When the victory was announced, they formed a circle and hugged each other. Team ace Daiki Hashimoto screamed and captain Kazuma Kaya collapsed to the ground and cried.

China had a three-point lead over Japan going into their final rotation on the horizontal bar, but the team never gave up despite the seemingly insurmountable deficit and miraculously turned the tide.

Japan’s first gymnast, Takaaki Sugino, completed a good performance. The first Chinese gymnast botched his landing, but the gap was still big. Shinnosuke Oka scored high and the next Chinese gymnast fell off the bar twice. Then, with Japan now slightly ahead of China, the title was left to Hashimoto.

Hashimoto had made many mistakes in the qualifications and also fell in the finals during his pommel horse. “Everyone helped me all the way. I’m going to let go of my weak feelings. I’ll fight for everyone,” Hashimoto said.

He performed a powerful dismount, stuck the landing and raised his fist in the air. The last Chinese athlete put in an impressive routine, but Japan finished with a lead of just over half a point.

“These are the first Olympic Games since Kohei Uchimura, the absolute champion, retired. Part of our homework was to create a team that would not rely on anyone else, or rather, to ‘graduate from Uchimura,'” said a member of the team’s staff.

“I was happy to compete with everyone’s thoughts and feelings on my shoulders,” Hashimoto said.

The team’s slogan was “Make new history!” Japan certainly did.