Artistic Gymnastics World C'ships 2021: Hashimoto Daiki, Rebeca Andrade among the 8 Olympic champions participating

Hashimoto Daiki of Japan and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade are among the top contenders at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships 2021 held in Kitakyushu, Japan from October 18- 24, after their Tokyo 2020 stint.

Published : Oct 16, 2021 21:25 IST

Rebeca Andrade of Brazil will be one of the favourites in the women's all-around event at the Artistic Gymnastics World C'ships 2021.
Rebeca Andrade of Brazil will be one of the favourites in the women's all-around event at the Artistic Gymnastics World C'ships 2021.
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Rebeca Andrade of Brazil will be one of the favourites in the women's all-around event at the Artistic Gymnastics World C'ships 2021.

Hashimoto Daiki of Japan and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade are among the top contenders at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships 2021 held in Kitakyushu, Japan from October 18- 24, after their Tokyo 2020 stint. Angelina Melnikova of the Russian Gymnastics Federation, and South Korea’s Shin Jea-hwan, are also strong competitors.

In the absence of United States’ Simone Biles, who won the women’s all-around title every year but one since 2013, Andrade, who took gold on women’s vault and silver in the all-around two months ago in Tokyo 2020, is one of the names in the mix for the all-around title.

With Tokyo gold medallist Sunisa Lee of the United States on a break from elite competition, Andrade, the silver medal winner, will look to change the colour of her medal. Before her performance at the Tokyo Games, the 22-year-old from Brazil overcame three knee injuries in six years and is very close to rewriting history as no Brazilian woman has ever won the World all-around title.

Angelina Melnikova, the bronze medallist at Tokyo 2020 in the all-around event and finished third at last worlds, along with her compatriot, Vladislava Urazova, who was placed fourth in the all-around event at Tokyo Olympics will be strong competitors for the all-around title.

Andrade, the Olympic gold medallist on vault, will be the favourite for gold once again in the apparatus finals, while Great Britain’s Becky Downie, a 2008 and 2016 Olympian, will enter as the reigning world uneven bars silver medallist.

On the balance beam, Wei Xuoyuan and Li of China could replicate their Tokyo 1-2 finish at Tokyo 2020. The women’s floor final should be a battle between Tokyo bronze medallists Melnikova and Murakami.

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Hashimoto Daiki of Japan will be one of the favourites in the men's all-around event at the Artistic Gymnastics World C'ships 2021.
 

In the men’s competition, reigning World all-around champion Nikita Nagornyy would not be taking part, new all-around champions will be crowned. Hashimoto, who became the youngest man ever to win the Olympic all-around title at Tokyo, will look to add another major title.

His compatriot, Uchimura Kohei, who has won six consecutive world all-around titles between 2009 and 2015 and Olympic all-around titles from London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016 will seek to win his 11th World championship gold.

Others to watch include- Yulo, Colak and Nory, the reigning world champions on the floor exercise, still rings and high bar, respectively. 2020 Olympic vault champion, Shin Jea-hwan and 2012 Olympic vaulting champion, and his compatriot Yang Hakseon are the other two Olympic gold medallists in the field.

(With inputs from FIG and Olympics website)

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