NHK Trophy 2024: Miyata Shoko overcomes pain to lead women's competition after Day 1
Miyata Shoko fought through a left-groin injury to lead after the first day of the women’s NHK Trophy on Thursday (16 May). The event serves as Japan’s final qualifier in gymnastics for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
At the Takasaki Arena in Gunma Prefecture, two-time defending champion Miyata put one foot through the door to her first Games with a 162.863 total, carrying over 109.798 from last month’s All-Japan All-Around Championships which she won for her first time.
“I was really worried about the pain on the last two apparatus,” Miyata said. “I tried to stay focused and got by on adrenaline but I avoided jumping at all before competition. I’m glad I didn’t have to pull out and could finish out the day.”
Miyata injured her left groin just last week as she fine-tuned for the NHK Trophy, and had conceded a day earlier that she was in a significant amount of pain.
True to her word, Miyata - who said she has not seen a doctor for her injury - could not withstand the impact on her final jump on the floor, collapsing on the ground. She needed several minutes to come off the podium, her left thigh and ankle wrapped in ice as she conducted her post-competition media.
Miyata Shoko suffered from groin pain during the NHK Trophy on 16 May.
Her score of 11.733 was 19th best in the field of 23, but a 14.300 on the vault, a 13.766 on the uneven bars and a 13.266 from the balance beam gave her an edge of 1.502 over second-place Kishi Rina.
In third was Okamura Mana (160.229/106.530) followed by Nakamura Haruka (159.997/107.131), the 15-year-old junior world all-around champion in her debut senior season, and Sugihara Aiko (158.461/106.496). America-based Soma Ui was sixth (157.197/104.531), staying within touching distance of a place on the team.
The top four after Saturday automatically secure a quota at Paris 2024, with the fifth and final spot to be decided by a panel based on select scores.*
One way or another, Miyata looks to be a solid bet to be among the five who will represent Japan this summer.
“I’ve been receiving treatment every day and thought I was in decent shape," the 19-year-old said. "But after the beam it started to hurt. I feel it a lot now that the adrenaline has worn off.
“By all accounts I should make the team based on contribution. I just have to get through the performance again on Saturday.”
*As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.