Japan's Men's Gymnastics Team Gears Up for Gold at Paris 2024! 🥇
Having missed out on the team gold by the slimmest margin at the Tokyo Olympics, Japan's men's gymnastics team is fired up and ready to conquer the podium at Paris 2024! 🇯🇵✨
Remember that heart-stopping moment in Tokyo when Russia edged out Japan by a mere 0.103 points? 😱 That's a difference so tiny, it's etched into the minds of the Japanese gymnasts who are hungry for redemption.
\"That narrow loss fueled our determination,\" said Daiki Hashimoto, the reigning all-around champion. \"We're more motivated than ever to win that gold and enjoy the view from the top!\" 🚀
Head coach Hisashi Mizutori echoed the sentiment: \"We've been working hard towards Paris with a sense of revenge. While it's a bit sad that Russia won’t be there, it's our big chance to grab that medal!\" 🏆
What's got the team so confident? They've got a well-balanced squad with a higher collective difficulty score—also known as the D-score—than their biggest rivals, China. 📈
\"Surprisingly, our D-score tops China's this time,\" said Kazuma Kaya, the pommel horse bronze medalist from Tokyo. \"We've got the strongest team yet!\" 💪
At last year's World Championships, Japan clinched the title nearly two points ahead of China. But with China's star all-arounder Zhang Boheng joining the roster this time, the competition will be fierce! 🔥
\"We can't afford any mistakes,\" warned coach Mizutori. \"But with experienced members and new talent, we're ready. Just like in Rio 2016 when we had (legendary gymnast) Kohei Uchimura, we now have Hashimoto leading the way.\" 🌟
Despite nursing a finger injury, Hashimoto is aiming high: \"I want to defend my all-around and horizontal bar titles, and help the team win gold. Fingers crossed! 🤞\"
The team—comprising Hashimoto, Kaya, Wataru Tanigawa, Takaaki Sugino, and 20-year-old Shinnosuke Oka—is set to showcase their skills from July 27 to August 5, with the men's team final on July 29. Mark your calendars! 🗓️
Japan is eyeing their eighth team gold, and with their passion and determination, they're ready to make history in Paris! 🥇🇯🇵
Reference(s):
Olympics: Japan eye men's team gymnastics gold at Paris 2024
cgtn.com
