Mikulak and Brooks, hoping to take some of the sting out of another fifth-place finish in the team event, couldn’t match the bronze in the all-around teammate Danell Leyva captured in London.
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It was Verniaiev who has come closest to doing what no one has been able to do in eight years – beat Uchimura in an all-around competition.
Whitlock had run Uchimura closer than anyone in the latter’s career when finishing nearly one and a half points outside gold at the 2014 World Championship, but Verniaiev brought the heat like nobody before him, superlative routines in the rings and horizontal bars setting up the tensest of finales.
Ukraine’s Oleg Verniaiev took the silver medal.
The gymnast known as “King Kohei” becomes the first man to successfully defend his title since countryman Sawao Kato in 1972.
After the first five days of competition, US is still leading the Olympic medal count ranking.
Verniaiev finished 11th in the all-around in London but has grown into one of the world’s best all-around gymnasts.
“I respect Uchimura”, he added. The 27-year-old, who also won the team title two days ago, joins Kato as the only men to win three Olympic all around medals, with both owning two golds and a silver.
The two US men in the field, Sam Mikulak and Chris Brooks, finished seventh and 14th, respectively.
Ten-time world champion Uchimura has won every individual all-around gold medal since 2009 and will be expected to top the podium once again in Brazil. On pommel horse, Brooks fought hard to stay on and earned only his lowest score, 13.200. The event is limited to two athletes per country and Leyva only made the U.S. Olympic team as an injury replacement for John Orozco.
However, the early lead belonged to Great Britain’s Max Whitlock, who put up a 15.875 on the pommel horse.
“It was upsetting, but at the same time, I knew that I was already on the path towards bettering myself for the Rio Olympics”, Mikulak said.
“It’s the third time I’ve been in there this week”.
As a team, the USA men’s gymnasts came very close to earning a medal, despite expectations that they wouldn’t be in the running with the top countries. “This next one, I definitely want to be the one to de-throne him”.
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Deng and Lin qualified for Wednesday’s all-around final, in fourth and tenth position.
