All-Japan All Around Championships 2023: Hashimoto Daiki overcomes back and ankle injuries to take third consecutive title
Even with a lower-back stress fracture and a twisted right ankle, the reigning Olympic and world champion was in a league of his own, firing a warning shot to the competition ahead of October's World Championships.
Artistic Gymnastics
Hashimoto Daiki gave himself a four out of 10 after sweeping to a third consecutive title at gymnastic's All-Japan All Around Championships in Tokyo on Sunday (23 April).
That despite a stress fracture in his lower back and a bad right ankle.
"I have to admit, having won two in a row I didn’t want to end the streak just yet,” said Hashimoto, whose total of 171.497 points was good enough to hold off fellow Tokyo 2020 Olympian Kaya Kazuma. Sugimoto Kaito was third with a 168.197.
Miwa Teppei, first in the prelims over Hashimoto, ended up seventh on 167.564.
“I just couldn’t let myself loose at home in Japan when I’m the world champion. I can exhale now, finally,” Hashimoto added.
Hashimoto, still just 21, is the first man to capture three successive championships here since a certain Uchimura Kohei won 10 in a row from 2008 to 2017.
“This might be three in a row but I’ve got a long way to go to catch up to Kohei-san,” Hashimoto said referring to the three-time Olympic gold medallist and six-time world champion.
“If you look at only the results this might be a three-peat but the performance left much to be desired.
“Because of the injuries this time I wasn’t sure how far I could go over the two days. I need to brush up for the NHK Trophy - and beyond.”
Hashimoto appeared to aggravate the ankle injury he suffered in Wednesday practice when he landed from the vault, grimacing and favouring his right foot.
But after competition, he confirmed that it was more about timing and visualisation rather than the pain itself, having been unable to practise the vault at all for two months after fracturing his back in January.
Hashimoto said he felt he had the title in the bag after the second apparatus, so much so that he scaled back his horizontal bar routine to play it safe.
Other than the landing off the vault, one would not have been able to tell he was competing with two bad injuries if he had not mentioned them.
“After the pommel horse, I knew I had it won as long as I did what I was supposed to do,” the reigning Olympic champion said.
“I spoke to the coach then and decided to take out the Liukin. The important thing was to get through all six events clean and in one piece. That was key.”
As the defending all around champion, Hashimoto has automatically qualified for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp from 30 September to 8 October.
After the next month's NHK Trophy and the subsequent All-Japan apparatus finals, he will take his time preparing for the worlds.
“I’m already on the team so I’m going to take my time getting ready. But the goal hasn’t changed for me. It’s to win gold in both the all around and the team event,” he said.
The 30 finalists on Sunday plus the winner of each of the six events advance to the NHK Trophy, from which the top two all around finishers other than Hashimoto qualify for the Worlds.
The next four head to the 23 September-8 October Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.