As the final round of the men’s gymnastics team competition commenced, it appeared that the Chinese team would confidently secure the Olympic gold medal on Monday. Following a dominant showing in the qualifiers on Saturday, they had built a substantial three-point lead over Japan with three routines remaining. Both teams concluded their performances on the horizontal bar, an event where China had outperformed Japan. With a significant margin for error, their task was simply to maintain a degree of stability to clinch the victory.
Yet, when tasked with executing some of gymnastics’ most complex skills amid immense pressure, things can deteriorate rapidly. What ensued was an extraordinary collapse. First, veteran Xiao Ruoteng stumbled to his knees upon landing his dismount, momentarily losing his balance before recovering. Following him, 24-year-old Su Weide, competing in his inaugural Olympics, suffered two falls; he initially lost grip of the horizontal bar, and after regaining it, he fell again almost immediately.
As turmoil unfolded in the closing minutes of the event and China faltered, the determined Japanese team executed a remarkable last-minute revival, earning the first artistic gymnastics gold medal of the Olympics with a score of 259.594, narrowly surpassing China by just 0.532 points.
While the Chinese team lamented their second-place finish, the United States celebrated a remarkable return to the podium with a bronze medal, their first in the men’s team event since 2008. Great Britain finished closely behind in fourth, 1.8 points adrift of the USA, despite a commendable performance that included only one fall, which ultimately could not compete with the more consistent American team.
For approximately two hours and 15 minutes at the Bercy Arena, China appeared invincible. They executed exceptional routines across various apparatus, initially creating a significant gap over Japan after a dramatic fall by reigning all-around champion Daiki Hashimoto on the pommel horse.
However, the men’s team final proves to be an unforgiving test of mental resilience, where contests often hinge on the final moments after extended periods of concentration. Three years prior in Tokyo, the same situation arose between Russia and Japan, where 18 routines from the leading teams were separated by a mere 0.103 points.
Su Weide falls on the horizontal bar for China. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters
In this instance, however, the pressure proved overwhelming for the frontrunners. With both Xiao and Su faltering, the opportunity for a comeback was seized by Japan, as Takaaki Sugino and Shinnosuke Oka delivered exceptionally strong routines on the horizontal bar under intense pressure.
The responsibility for the final outcome rested heavily on Hashimoto, who had previously struggled with the apparatus. Rising to the occasion, he performed an outstanding routine that secured the Olympic gold.
“I felt the entire team was right behind me, they supported me,” he reflected. “I was nearly in tears before going on stage.”
As the Japanese team reveled on the floor, waving their flag and greeting family and supporters in the stands, the Chinese team departed the arena in silence, heads bowed and visibly emotional.
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Japan now takes over from Russia as Olympic team champions, as the Russian team faced a ban this year following their country’s invasion of Ukraine. In Tokyo, the team was led by Nikita Nagornyy, who also secured a bronze medal in the all-around. He currently heads the Young Army Cadets National Movement in Russia and was recently added to the US individual sanctions list for his role in that organization, which is said to be “responsible for the forced militarization and re-education of children in Ukraine.”
Like China, the US team’s stellar performance could have unraveled during their final rotation on the tricky pommel horse. However, they maintained strong performances throughout. The pressure culminated for Stephen Nedoroscik, the team’s pommel horse expert and reigning world champion at the event, who had one chance to contribute after two and a half hours of competition. He held his nerve and helped the young US squad secure a well-deserved bronze medal.
“It was tough,” expressed Max Whitlock from Great Britain. “I’m really disappointed. Fourth place is always difficult; we’ve frequently landed in this position at the Olympics. It feels pretty raw right now, but we can take pride in our efforts. Evaluating our performances, we gave it our all.”
The British men are set to compete in eight individual finals in the upcoming days, beginning with Jake Jarman and Joe Fraser in the men’s all-around final on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Whitlock’s score of 15.266 on the pommel horse remains the highest in the competition thus far.
