PARIS—The Japanese men’s gymnastics team secured Olympic gold with a stunning comeback against their top rival.
In a thrilling showdown, Japan overtook China in the final rotation to claim victory in the men’s team competition at the Paris Olympics on Monday. China, which seemed poised to win its first Olympic title in 12 years, faltered on the horizontal bar, allowing Japan to clinch the gold by a narrow margin of 0.532 points.
The Americans also had a strong showing, earning the bronze medal, their first since 2008.
Despite China’s dominance in the qualifying rounds ahead of Japan, the Japanese team managed to outperform their rivals when it mattered most.
China and Japan, both competing in the same group, kicked off their competition on the floor exercise. China initially took the lead and appeared to be on track for their first gold medal since 2012 before Japan’s impressive comeback.
Key performances from Takaaki Sugino, Shinnosuke Oka, and Tokyo Olympics all-around champion Daiki Hashimoto on the horizontal bar sealed Japan’s victory, while China’s Su Weide struggled with falls on the bar and vault.
This win marks Japan’s eighth team gold and their first since the Rio Olympics in 2016.
The U.S. team, qualifying in fifth place, ended a 16-year medal drought with a solid performance, securing the bronze medal ahead of Britain.
Notably, Russia, the reigning gold medalists from the Tokyo Games, did not participate due to geopolitical reasons.
Hashimoto, who appeared to be nursing a shoulder injury during qualifying, faced a setback during his pommel horse routine but rallied with strong performances on vault and horizontal bar to contribute to Japan’s victory.
