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King Kohei Wins Again!

Thursday, October 3rd, 2013



Today Kohei Uchimura (JPN) was crowned king of the Worlds for the fourth consecutive time (fifth including last year’s Olympic Games). He won in typical fashion, 1.958 points over teammate Ryohei Kato for a fantastic 1-2 Japanese finish. Fabian Hambüchen (GER) climbed his way up to the bronze medal after finding himself at the bottom of the standings in the first rotation!

Kohei Uchimura (JPN), AA Floor Exercise, 2013 World Championships

Ryohei Kato (JPN), AA Vault, 2013 World Championships

Fabian Hambüchen (GER), AA High Bar, 2013 World Championships

Floor exercise scores seemed to be the biggest indicator of things to come:

1. Kohei Uchimura, 15.558

2. Ryohei Kato, 15.500

3. Samuel Mikulak (USA), 15.366

4. Max Whitlock (GBR), 15.266

5. Fabian Hambüchen, Sergio Sasaki Junior (BRA), Daniel Purvis (GBR), 15.133

These seven gymnasts all finished in the top seven All Around.

Sergio Sasaki Junior (BRA), AA Floor Exercise, 2013 World Championships

Many of the other scores were all over the place; Jossimar Orlando Calvo Moreno (COL) recorded the highest score on parallel bars with a 15.400 tied with Zhou Shixiong (CHN), but unfortunately ended up in last place after a horrific crash from the high bar. Let’s hope he’s not too seriously injured and can compete in the high bar finals on Sunday. Zhou may have been the class of the field on parallel bars, but he ended up in 10th overall after receiving scores on pommels and rings that were only 19th best. Bart Deurloo (NED), 14th all around, managed the 3rd highest score on high bar with a 15.466, but also rounded up the 24-man field on rings with a 13.366.

Oliver Hegi (SUI), was so unlucky when his grip broke in the middle his high bar routine and was given a score of 7.100. How disappointing for a gymnast who qualified to the All Around in 9th place and was certainly looking to make his mark here.

David Belyavskiy (RUS) and Oleg Verniaiev (UKR) were expected to challenge for medals in Antwerp, but faded to 12th and 15th, respectively. Verniaiev was off to a very good start on rings and vault, but plummeted in the rankings after an 11.833 on high bar. Fortunately he’ll have another shot at a medal in the vault final this weekend, having qualified in second place behind Olympic Champion Yang Hak Seon (KOR).

Oleg Verniaiev (UKR), AA Vault, 2013 World Championships

Top 8 All Around, 2013 World Championships

Onwards to the Apparatus Finals, where the specialists come out to play!