Hashimoto delivers for Japan

Gymnast nails his final routine to seal team title at world championships

ANTWERP:

Daiki Hashimoto delivered with his final routine to ensure Japan regained the team gymnastics world title on Tuesday in Antwerp, less than 10 months ahead of the Paris Olympics.

Japan, last year's silver medallists, scored 255.594 to finish 1.80 points ahead of defending champions China.

"I've competed in team event since 2019, but only got silver and bronze medals," said Hashimoto. "Finally, I got a gold medal, which is the one I really wanted. I'm very happy."

China finished by putting up the best score on the rings. That put the pressure on Japan's last man Hashimoto, but he nailed his final landing on the horizontal bar to seal victory.

The United States completed the podium with 252.428 points. Great Britain were fourth on 249.461.

Japan, who had dominated qualifying on Sunday, took the team title for the seventh time.

Hashimoto, Olympic all-around and high bar champion two years ago in Tokyo, and his team-mates won Japan's first world crown since 2015. They had finished on the podium in the three world championships after that.

Having squeezed into the final with an eighth-place qualifying finish, the Chinese bounced back on Tuesday, but two falls on the high bar cost them dearly.

On Thursday, Hashimoto will attempt to become the first man to win back-to-back world all-around titles since compatriot Kohei Uchimura took the last of his six consecutive victories in 2015.

"We still have the all-around coming," Hashimoto said in Japanese when asked whether he planned to celebrate the team title before adding in English: "Long sleeping."

The competition continued with the women's team all-around, where American Simone Biles, back after a two-year hiatus, could claim her 26th world medal.