Shinnosuke Oka of Japan won the men’s all-around gold medal at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, capitalising on mistakes by top competitors to beat China’s Zhang Boheng. The battle came down to the final apparatus, the horizontal bar, where Oka kept his cool to finish with 86.832 points, narrowly defeating Zhang by 0.233 points, while Xiao Ruoteng won bronze for China.
Oka, a first-time Olympian, was overshadowed in the Bercy Arena by his teammate Daiki Hashimoto, the Tokyo all-around champion. However, while Hashimoto and Xiao struggled in earlier rotations, Oka performed outstandingly across all six apparatuses, clinching his second gold medal in Paris after helping Japan win the team final two days before.
“I had a strong desire to win,” Oka stated, expressing his joy in finishing the Olympics without making any blunders. Despite Hashimoto’s struggles, which led to a sixth-place finish, Oka credited his buddy with consistent encouragement.
Oka respected Zhang’s fortitude, realising the narrow gap that separated them. “I really felt the Chinese medallists had a higher degree of perfection,” Oka stated, hoping to replicate the success of “King Kohei” Uchimura. Oka hopes to maintain his newfound confidence by pursuing additional successes and keeping the spirit of challenge alive.
