NHK Trophy 2023: Hashimoto Daiki's pain threshold put to test in winning third successive title as Japan's gymnastics worlds team takes shape
Still not fully healed from injuries to his lower back and right ankle, the reigning men's Olympic and world all around champion did just enough to three-peat in Tokyo. Kaya Kazuma, Miwa Teppei will join him on Japan's team for the world championships in Antwerp later in the year.
Artistic Gymnastics
It wasn’t pretty, but Hashimoto Daiki got it done.
The Olympic and world champion won the NHK Trophy for the third straight year on Sunday (21 May) in Tokyo, despite falling on both the pommel horse and horizontal bar in the Japanese artistic gymnastics showpiece.
Hashimoto - who is still recovering from a stress fracture in his lower back and a right-ankle injury he suffered ahead of last month’s All-Japan All Around Championships - became the first man since Uchimura Kohei to three-peat at the NHK Trophy. Uchimura won 10 titles in a row from 2009 to 2018.
Hashimoto’s 255.95 placed him two points ahead of Kaya Kazuma (253.296). Miwa Teppei finished third (252.928).
Hashimoto had already qualified for the 30 September-8 October 2023 World Championships as the defending men’s all around champion. Kaya and Miwa will now join him in Antwerp, with the remaining two spots on the national team to be selected after the 10-11 June All-Japan Apparatus Finals.
“I was still fatigued from the All-Japans and it got worse as the day went on,” Hashimoto said. “I’m glad I didn’t worsen the injuries.
“I lowered the D score to accommodate so I’m not too happy with the performance. I didn’t have the consistency even with an easier program and that is something I need to work on.”
For the second straight day, in a mind-boggling turn of events, the NHK Trophy produced an injured champion who, if reason prevailed, really should not have been competing. On Saturday, Miyata Shoko fought through a fractured right heel and related ankle soreness to win the women's title.
Hashimoto's day did not exactly unfold in style. As if the fall on the pommel horse wasn’t uncharacteristic enough, the Olympic champion fell off the horizontal bar, his signature event.
Attempting a Liukin, Hashimoto’s left hand missed the bar on the catch as he fell flat on his chest.
After resuming his routine, Hashimoto managed to land square on both feet but was shivering in pain as he rose to salute.
Hashimoto said following the performance that his entire upper body had cramped up during warm-ups, which led to the fall and painful landing.
The 21-year-old, however, would not make excuses for a sub-par afternoon in Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, instead vowing to be better by the worlds.
“No matter the circumstances, no matter the difficulty, I want to be someone who gets the job done,” he said. “I hope to build on the All-Japans and NHK.
“There’s still a lot I can brush up on. I can be more technical, execute better in winning the world championships - and tie it into Paris.”