All-Japan All Around Championships 2023: No pain, no gain as Hashimoto Daiki to compete with back fracture
Call it pride, call it a tolerance for pain but a fractured lower back will not keep the men's Olympic and world all-around champion out of the 20-23 April competition in Tokyo.
Artistic Gymnastics
Position 1
Reigning men’s Olympic and world gymnastics champion Hashimoto Daiki will fight through a stress fracture in his lower back at the All-Japan All Around Championships this week in Tokyo.
“I was debating whether to say it or not, but I have a stress fracture in my lower back. I found out after feeling pain in my back and went for a check-up in January,” Hashimoto said at official practice on the eve of the four-day meet starting on Thursday (19 April).
“I barely practised for two months after that. I didn’t do anything where I felt pain. No floor, no vault for two months.
“But I’m able to get by as things stand. Not competing was not an option.”
Hashimoto is the two-time defending champion of the competition, which is a qualifier for the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp this autumn.
After capturing the title in Liverpool last year, Hashimoto had automatically qualified for this year’s world championships.
The 21-year-old could have skipped the All-Japans but sitting out apparently was not an option to him.
“I hope I can get through all six events,” said Hashimoto, who competed for the first time since the diagnosis at the DTB Pokal Mixed Cup in Stuttgart, Germany, last month.
“I’m not going to worry about my D score. If I perform as well as I can it should still be good enough for me to win.
“I don’t need to press and just be me.”
Hashimoto is far from down over his latest setback. If anything, he has come out of this with a positive take if such a thing is possible.
Hashimoto - who believes his overworking last summer is at the root of his injury - said he is far from fully healed but began practising all six events earlier this month.
The men’s preliminaries is Friday followed by the finals on Sunday.
“I’ve been practising the pommel horse the whole time so I’ve really picked it up on that front. Looking at it on the bright side, I also feel stronger on the rings.
“I’ve lowered my D score so the pressure is off. If I take care of business like I should, I’m sure I can win it.”