TOKYO (AP) – Hosting is doing wonders for athletes in Japan, without being demotivated by having to compete in orphaned amateur stages and a tepid Olympic atmosphere due to restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
On the fifth day of competition at Tokyo 2020, Japan is leading the medal table with a harvest of 13 titles. China is chasing him with 12 and the United States is third with 12.
Six of the Japanese consecrations have been in judo, the sport that originated in the country.
But the homeowners also boast a pair of conquests in swimming, a vibrant victory for their softball team against the United States and the sweep of their skaters in the sport’s Olympic debut, most notably the triumph of Momiji Nishiya, a girl from just 13 years old.
Japan’s 13th gold came Wednesday night and was authored by another Japanese teenager, as Daiki Hashimoto took it upon himself to prolong the country’s supremacy in the men’s gymnastics individual contest.
Hashimoto grew up watching Kohei Uchimura win gold in the combined exercise event, first in London 2012 and then Rio 2016.
Being the leader of the new batch of Japanese gymnasts in the face of Uchimura’s impending retirement does not scare the 19-year-old Hashimoto.
It is a challenge that he welcomes with absolute fervor.
With an electrifying performance at the high bar during the last rotation, Hashimoto secured the third title in a row in the test for Japan, beating China’s Xiao Ruoteng and Russian Nikita Nagornyy.
Hashimoto’s score of 88,465 was four tenths ahead of Ruoteng, who had three tenths subtracted from him when he forgot to greet the judges during the final act in the Ariake pavilion.
It was Hashimoto’s second performance to border perfection in three days.
“I don’t feel any pressure or nervousness,” he said. “I go out to enjoy the competition.”
He was not the only Japanese athlete to shine on Wednesday, the day after Naomi Osaka – the superstar who lit the Olympic fire at the opening ceremony – was eliminated in the third round of the tennis tournament.
Yui Ohashi, a 25-year-old swimmer, has emerged as one of the great figures by the hosts at these Games.
Born in Hikone, a small town in the center of the country, Ohashi claims to be a double Olympic champion. After dedicating himself to the grueling 400-meter medley on Sunday, he continued on Wednesday with a win in the 200 medley. The first two great titles of his career could not have been in a better setting.
Someone asked him the question if he could be identified as a national star. Politely, Ohashi dismissed it.
“I don’t feel like a star,” he replied.
Baseball is one of the most popular sports in Japan and winning the Olympic gold they have it between eyebrows, so much so that the professional league suspended its season to give space to the fair and allow the participation of its best chips.
Japan seeks the first baseball gold in the sport’s return to the program after its last staging in 2008.
Their first outing in Tokyo 2020 nearly ended in defeat when they entered the final inning with a 3-1 loss to the Dominican Republic. But a bold bunt and single by Hayato Sakamoto completed the comeback for a 4-3 victory at Fukushima.
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