Shinnosuke Oka held off a spirited challenge from pre-tournament favorite Boheng Zhang of China on Wednesday, July 31 to win gold in the men's gymnastics all-around final at the Paris Olympics, giving Japan its fourth consecutive title in the event.
Former world junior champion Oka, making his debut at the Olympics, received 86.832 points, edging China's Zhang by 0.233. Zhang's compatriot Ruoteng Xiao claimed the bronze medal, 0.468 back of the winner.
Oka also upstaged defending champion and compatriot Daiki Hashimoto, who fell during his pommel horse routine and finished a disappointing sixth.
After collecting the gold, Oka was quick to credit his teammate Hashimoto with giving him the confidence to win Japan's eighth gold medal of the Paris Games.
"Daiki never stopped telling me that I should have confidence and that I should do my best, right from the start of the competition, and that gave me confidence and strength," Oka said, according to The Associated Press.
Shinnosuke Oka Surges into Lead on Pommel Horse
Oka's win followed a familiar pattern from the team competition two days earlier when Japan narrowly beat China in a contest that came down to the last routine.
The 20-year-old produced a solid pommel horse routine to surge into the lead after two rotations and then impressed on the vault. He was equally strong on the two remaining apparatuses, the parallel bars and horizontal bar.
Zhang, the highest scorer in the preliminary round, got off to a shaky start when he fell on his floor routine, leaving him near the bottom of the standings at the end of the first rotation.
But Zhang fought back with big scores on the next four apparatuses to put himself in a position to win the gold in the final routine at Bercy Arena, the horizontal bar. However, he had a slight miss on his horizontal bar routine.
Shinnosuke Oka Maintains Poise to Claim Gold
Under immense pressure, Oka held his cool and received 14.500 points for his final routine.
"Of course, there was nervousness, but I clung to the enjoyment of the moment, really embracing all the emotions," Oka said, according to Kyodo News.
The 20-year-old native of Okayama Prefecture added, "[On the horizontal bar], I made sure I was on top of certain points and I tried to stay calm. I didn't want to do anything half-baked."
After completing the horizontal bar, Oka had a nervous wait for Zhang's score to come through.
The Chinese star capped his evening with a solid 14.633 but that was too little, too late.
"I made some mistakes, but I managed to readjust and get back to my basics later on the other apparatus," Zhang said, according to The Associated Press. "I did everything I could to catch up with the other gymnasts."
He added, "I didn't win the gold medal, but losing is normal. It happens."
Expected Showdown Didn't Materialize
Many expected Wednesday's contest to be a battle between Zhang and Hashimoto.
Zhang was the world champion in the all-around in 2021 ahead of Hashimoto, who claimed the world title by defeating Zhang the next year.
But Hashimoto has struggled in Paris to find the form that allowed him to dominate at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
The 22-year-old Hashimoto fell off the pommel horse after losing his balance and looked frustrated after finishing his routine. He then got a massage on the same right shoulder that had seemed to bother him during qualifying.
Hashimoto, who became the youngest man ever to win the Olympic all-around title in Tokyo, failed in his bid to become only the fourth male gymnast to win a second all-around title.
"I didn't give much thought to winning back-to-back titles today," a visibly upset Hashimoto said, according to Kyodo News.
In addition to a sore shoulder, Hashimoto has struggled with a finger injury sustained in May.
"Having got back to where I am after the injury, I was feeling satisfied from winning the team gold," Hashimoto said. "I am more happy than frustrated and tears have come out."
Hashimoto's title in Tokyo came on the back of legendary Kohei Uchimura's wins at the 2012 London Games and Rio 2016.
Athletes from powerhouse Russia were not taking part because of the war in Ukraine.
Success on the Global Stage
Oka began gymnastics when he was 4 years old. In 2019, he moved away from his family at age 16 to train at the Tokushukai Gymnastics Club in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Oka won four gold medals at the 2019 world junior championships in Gyor, Hungary. He captured gold in the team and all-around events, silver on the pommel horse and bronze on the parallel bars.
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Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.
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