Hashimoto Secures Historic Third Consecutive World Gymnastics Title
JAKARTA – Daiki Hashimoto of japan made history Wednesday at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, becoming only the second man to win three consecutive all-around titles, a feat previously achieved solely by compatriot Kohei Uchimura. The 24-year-old’s winning score of 85.131 points narrowly defeated China’s Zhang Boheng (84.333), who took silver, while Switzerland’s Noe Seifert surprised with a bronze medal performance of 82.831.
Hashimoto’s victory marks a return to top form after a sixth-place finish at the 2023 Paris Olympic Games, a result hampered by a finger injury. He previously claimed Olympic gold at the Tokyo games in 2021 and world championships titles in both 2022 and 2023.
“I’m really happy to have won the World championships, especially because I couldn’t win the individual gold medal in the Paris Olympic Games last year,” Hashimoto told reporters.
The competition was a tight race throughout the evening, with Hashimoto, Japan’s Olympic champion Shinnosuke Oka, and Olympic silver medalist Zhang trading leads by fractions of a point. Hashimoto credited his success to self-belief.
“It was a very tough and close battle until the very end, but I trusted myself and was able to stay focused on my performance,” he saeid. “I think that belief in myself led to the final result, and when I nailed the high bar at the end, it felt amazing.”
Hashimoto acknowledged the weight of expectation and his admiration for Uchimura’s legacy. “I think of Uchimura as superhuman, and I want to do something that is superhuman too,” he stated. “Being able to compete for (his record) is one of the greatest joys of my life.”
The championships were held amidst controversy, as Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, denied visas to Israeli gymnasts earlier this month due to the ongoing military offensive in Gaza. This decision prompted the International Olympic Committee to urge international sports federations to reconsider hosting events in Indonesia.
