Japan’s Shinnosuke Oka capitalised on errors by the top contenders and held his nerve to fend off a late challenge by China’s Zhang Boheng to win the men’s all-around gold medal at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday.
Zhang trailed by just 0.233 of a point to take silver and his countryman Xiao Ruoteng claimed bronze.
The tense final came down to the last apparatus -- the horizontal bar -- and 20-year-old Oka maintained his poise under intense pressure to finish with a total of 86.832.
First-time Olympian Oka strode into Bercy Arena in the shadow of his more celebrated teammate, Tokyo all around champion Daiki Hashimoto. .
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But with Hashimoto and Xiao both faltering during the earlier rotations, Oka kept his wits about him as he produced spectacular routines on all six apparatus to put everyone else in his shade as he picked up his second gold in Paris after helping Japan to victory in the team final two days ago.
Oka looks to emulate Uchimura’s success
“I had a strong desire to win, and I knew that if I could beat Hashimoto, I could win the title,” Oka told reporters. “It was really great that I was able to complete these Olympics without making any mistakes.”
The first-time Olympian said he had constant encouragement from Hashimoto watching from nearby, even as his teammate’s quest for a second consecutive title started to look doomed.
Having claimed the crown in the event three years ago in Tokyo, Hashimoto had been lauded as a worthy heir to compatriot “King Kohei” Uchimura, the two-time Olympic all around champion considered as one of the greatest male gymnasts. Hashimoto, however, finished in sixth place on Wednesday and has emerged as the weakest link in the Japanese line-up during these Olympics.
Instead, it was Oka who exuded calm and confidence as he worked through routine after routine with no errors - unlike Hashimoto, silver medallist Zhang Boheng and practically every other competitor in Bercy Arena.
“I just went out there with everything and that was great. I didn’t freak out, and I went big.”
Oka admitted later that he felt nerves going into his last apparatus, the high bar, given the razor-thin point difference between him and 2021 world champion Zhang.
Mentally and skill-wise, there was still far more room for him to improve, he said.
“I really felt that (the two Chinese medallists) had a higher degree of perfection,” Oka said, sitting between Zhang and bronze medallist Xiao Ruoteng at a press conference.
“Zhang Boheng made a mistake on the floor, but I thought that it was impressive that he switched his mindset and performed (well) until the end.”
With many years ahead of him and now an individual Olympic title to his name, Oka has his sights set on lofty goals.
“I want to make sure I don’t forget the spirit of challenge, and work hard so that I can keep winning just like Kohei-san did.”
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