Good visibility for Japanese men to win consecutive titles; parallel bars and horizontal bars are key

The Japanese men's prospects are good as they aim to win the team all-around title for the second time at the World Gymnastics Championships being held in Rotterdam, Netherlands. In the qualifying round, they came out on top with a difference of more than three points over second place UK. Looking ahead to the final on the 20th (21st Japan time), Daiki Hashimoto (Nippon Life Insurance Co., Central Sports) said enthusiastically, ``If I can give 100%, the points will follow.I want to do it with confidence.''

Japanese men lead in qualifying, Shinnosuke Oka 1st in individual overall, Daiki Hashimoto 2nd - World Gymnastics

They showed their strength by winning the team all-around gold medal at the Paris Olympics, but there is room for them to improve their score even further in the final. Hashimoto and specialist Maeda Kaede (Hayabusa SC) fell on the horizontal bar. Shinnosuke Oka, who won three Paris Olympics titles, and Shohei Kawakami (both Tokushukai) made up for it with great performances. If Hashimoto and Maeda can do their favorite events safely, their scores will increase even further.

Britain narrowly won the four events of the float, pommel horse, rings, and vault. In Japan, the key to success is how much money you can make on the parallel bars and horizontal bars, which are your strength. China, who were seen as rivals, had their ace Zhang Boheng, who placed second in the individual overall at the Paris Olympics, absent, and placed fourth in the qualifying round. They will come into the final hoping to make up for it.

Although finishing in the top three will earn a spot at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, this is the minimum goal for Japan. Oka said, ``My desire to win the gold medal is connected to my performance.I absolutely want to win.'' Waiting for the battle with great enthusiasm. (Rotterdam Jiji)