By Sean Miyaguchi,
In a sport where a single mistake can sink medal hopes, Japanese gymnast Shinnosuke Oka excelled at the Paris Olympics by holding steady as his competition faltered.
The Olympic debutant announced himself as the new star of men's gymnastics in Paris by finishing with four medals -- three gold and one bronze -- and becoming the first man to win gold in all-around, team, and on an apparatus in 32 years.
While Japan battled China for men's team gold as expected, the 20-year-old Oka did not go into any of his individual events at Bercy Arena as the favorite.
Compatriot Daiki Hashimoto was initially tipped to retain his men's all-around Olympic crown, while China's Zhang Boheng emerged strongest from qualifying, but both were among the athletes who tripped up in the final.
Oka, meanwhile, was ranked fourth or better on five of the six apparatuses and held first place for most of the competition. He eventually withstood a furious comeback bid by Zhang on his final apparatus, the horizontal bar.
Monday's individual horizontal bar final played out similarly, with Oka posting a solid score, albeit one not normally expected to net gold, before each subsequent competitor failed to better it.
Oka might not have even contested the final had it not been for defending Olympic champion Hashimoto falling during qualifying for his pet apparatus.
Fellow team gold medalist Takaaki Sugano was considered a stronger podium hope after qualifying third, two places above Oka, but fell off the bar and out of the running in the final. Zhang and other medal prospects also showed imperfections, allowing Oka to maintain top position.
"After the team final the pressure was off my shoulders. I was just able to perform," said Oka, who won the most gold and total artistic gymnastics medals in Paris, equal with all-time great Simone Biles of the United States.
"I had mixed feelings because I wasn't expecting to win a medal for the horizontal bar. I really wanted my teammate Sugano to win gold but instead I got it, so I wasn't really sure if I should celebrate."
Oka said his friendly rivalry with Hashimoto had been a source of inspiration and he looked forward to further battles against his 22-year-old countryman, but even more to working alongside him in team competition.
"Hashimoto has always been my role model. I always thought about beating him in a good rivalry and now I've achieved it. In the future, we're going to keep competing with each other to improve ourselves even further," Oka said.
"My favorite gold medal of course is the one from the team final, because that's what we'd all been working so hard for together. It was a collective result."
Related coverage:
Olympics: Oka wins third gymnastics gold of Paris Games
Olympics: Oka's star rises as Hashimoto loses men's gymnastics crown
Olympics: Japan's Oka wins men's individual all-around gymnastics gold
