Olympics: Gold for Team Japan Artistic Gymnastics

Team Japan staged an improbable comeback to win men’s gymnastics team gold Monday (29 July) at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

The first rotation and a half foretold of a fierce battle for gold, as China and Japan nearly went score-for-score in the opening routines.

Japan hopes took a hit, however, in the second rotation, with Hashimoto Daiki, reigning world and Olympic all-around champion, slipping off the pommel horse mid-routine. He managed just a 13.100 and put China in the driver’s seat. Just 0.734 had separated the two nations after the floor exercise. Hashimoto’s error swung the pendulum massively, giving China a 1.633 lead that looked likely to carry them to gold.

As his Japanese teammates looked on, shoulder-to-shoulder, Hashimoto soared to a 14.566. The relief washing over the 22-year-old, pointed proudly to the Japanese flag on his uniform as he joined his elated teammates.