Uchimura’s victory marked the first time in 44 years a gymnast had won all around gold at two consecutive Games, though he said he expected a new crop of younger gymnasts, led by Verniaiev, to surpass him soon.
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Max Whitlock bowed to the greatness of Kohei Uchimura after becoming the first British gymnast to win an Olympic all-around medal in 108 years in Rio on Wednesday. After the first couple events, they were trailing in seventh place, but put themselves right on the cusp of a medal with a strong vault. You might nearly say his destiny: his gymnast parents gave him a name that means “peaceful flight”.
Verniaiev lead the way on the rings and parallel bars, finishing second on the pommel horse behind Whitlock, the reigning world champion on the apparatus. “He’s the Michael Phelps of gymnastics”.
Uchimura became only the fourth man, and the first since his compatriot Sawao Kato in 1972, to capture successive golds in the event that tests skills across six apparatus.
Max Whitlock of Great Britain scored 90.641 to win bronze. “So I felt that even if I lose, I would be happy”.
Uchimura said: “After winning the group gold it was tough to refocus”.
“Everybody in the world knows these names, ” he said.
It was an honour too to stand on the podium alongside his hero Uchimura, a man whose routines he watches compulsively on YouTube. “I don’t think I’m well known in the world”.
As a team, the United States men’s gymnasts came very close to earning a medal, despite expectations that they wouldn’t be in the running with the top countries.
There’s time. Uchimura will take a break following the Rio Games but has no plans to retire. The opportunity to finish things off in front of his fellow countrymen – and his daughter – will be far too attractive to pass up.
Here’s the answer: pretty much whatever he wants.
“King Kohei” won his eighth major all-around competition in a row on Wednesday, pipping the Ukrainian by just 0.099 of a point – his narrowest victory margin of those by some way. Yet he stressed repeatedly the only thing that mattered was the team gold.
While Uchimura was exulting in triumph, Verniaiev was basically just warming up. Ukraine qualified for the team final but basically gave up when Maksym Semiankiv couldn’t participate in the finals due to injury.
Verniaiev shrugged off the decision and insisted his team did not tank on goal so he could prep for the all-around.
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“We never blew a single contest, ” he said, calling it a “silly and unpredictable situation”.
