Olympics-Gymnastics-A new Japanese star is born: Oka looks to emulate Uchimura's success

By Chang-Ran Kim

PARIS (Reuters) - The spotlight at the men's gymnastics events at the Paris Games was always going to shine brightest on Japan's Daiki Hashimoto, but it was Shinnosuke Oka who triumphed in the all around, emerging from the shadow of his more decorated countryman.

The youngest of the five-man Japanese squad at age 20, Oka picked up his second gold medal on Wednesday, narrowly eclipsing two Chinese rivals. Tokyo 2020 champion Hashimoto trailed far behind in the all-around final.

Japan beat China in the team event on Monday.

"I had a strong desire to win, and I knew that if I could beat Hashimoto, I could win the title," Oka told reporters. "It was really great that I was able to complete these Olympics without making any mistakes."

The first-time Olympian said he had constant encouragement from Hashimoto watching from nearby, even as his teammate's quest for a second consecutive title started to look doomed.

Having claimed the crown in the event three years ago in Tokyo, Hashimoto had been lauded as a worthy heir to compatriot "King Kohei" Uchimura, the two-time Olympic all around champion considered as one of the greatest male gymnasts. Hashimoto, however, finished in sixth place on Wednesday and has emerged as the weakest link in the Japanese line-up during these Olympics.

Instead, it was Oka who exuded calm and confidence as he worked through routine after routine with no errors - unlike Hashimoto, silver medallist Zhang Boheng and practically every other competitor in Bercy Arena.

"I just went out there with everything and that was great. I didn't freak out, and I went big."

Oka admitted later that he felt nerves going into his last apparatus, the high bar, given the razor-thin point difference between him and 2021 world champion Zhang.

Mentally and skill-wise, there was still far more room for him to improve, he said.

"I really felt that (the two Chinese medallists) had a higher degree of perfection," Oka said, sitting between Zhang and bronze medallist Xiao Ruoteng at a press conference.

"Zhang Boheng made a mistake on the floor, but I thought that it was impressive that he switched his mindset and performed (well) until the end."

With many years ahead of him and now an individual Olympic title to his name, Oka has his sights set on lofty goals.

"I want to make sure I don't forget the spirit of challenge, and work hard so that I can keep winning just like Kohei-san did."

(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim, Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber, Rory Carroll, Karen Braun, editing by Pritha Sarkar)