BEIJING —

Japanese gymnast Kohei Uchimura overcame two falls on the pommel horse to grab the silver medal in the men’s all-around competition at the Beijing Olympics on Thursday, giving his country the first medal in the event in 24 years. The 19-year-old accumulated 91.975 points on six apparatuses, 2.6 short of China’s two-time world champion Yang Wei who outclassed his rivals at National Indoor Stadium. Frenchman Benoit Caranobe got the bronze, and Japan’s Hiroyuki Tomita finished in fourth place.

Uchimura, who made his Olympic debut in Beijing and helped Japan take the silver medal in the team contest Tuesday, became the ninth Japanese medalist in the men’s all-around and the first since current team manager Kenji Gushiken’s gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. ‘‘I was feeling really down after falling on the pommel horse, so the silver medal in that situation made me very happy,’’ Uchimura said after the medal ceremony. ‘‘After the mistake, I told myself to move as usual and went for the landing and it worked.’’ Told that the last medal won by a compatriot in the all-around was Gushiken’s, the Nippon Sport Science University student said he will work hard so that color of his medal will turn gold, just like the one won by Gushiken, in the next Olympics. Meanwhile, Tomita had a major mishap on the rings when he made a mistake in a move during his routine and then released his left hand too early in the landing to crash on the mat, but rebounded for clean routines in the remaining three apparatuses. Still, efforts to recover his placing was not enough and the 2005 world champion, who was seeking to become the first Japanese to win the all-around title in both the worlds and the Olympics, missed the podium.

Kyodo

6 Comments

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  flammenwerfer at 06:01 PM JST - 14th August

  Had Uchimura not messed on the pommel, he could have pushed for the gold. Great effort though and sheer brillance on the bar - just stunning. Tomita would have had a medal had he not screwed up, he just missed the bronze. That's how the cookie crumbles.

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  Pukey2 at 09:18 PM JST - 14th August

  Did Uchimura fall off the pommel TWICE? It's amazing he and Tomita managed to get 2nd and 4th place despite those errors. But well done to them for making it up on the other apparatus. Uchimura, at 19, has a bright future but sadly Tomita will probably not be in the next Olympics. Since the Athens Olympics, he just hasn't performed well when it really counts, falling left, right and centre. I really like him, but I wish he would smile more. When he received his silver medal the other day, the old guy handing out the medals was about to give him another one when Tomita smiled and pointed out that he just received it.

  One thing I don't understand. Two Japanese guys finished above Tomita in the preliminary and I assumed that these two would go onto the men's all round final. So how did Tomita get there? Was it a case of letting the sempai having a final chance a la Tani Ryoko? This has got to stop. Had the other guy gone ahead, who knows whether he could have gotten a medal.

  And finally, well done Yang Wei. Truly in a class of his own. And there's no doubt this guy is NOT underage! This I believe was his 3rd Olympics.

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  rajakumar at 05:21 AM JST - 15th August

  Way to go team japan's Uchimura .

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  yukisnowflake at 06:08 AM JST - 15th August

  Congratulations to the Japanese Mens Team Silver Medal.

  Also Congrats to Hiroyuki Tomita & Kohei Uchimura on your 4th & 2nd place respectively.

  Kohei Uchimura you have a new fan from Canada.

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  hekska at 08:05 PM JST - 15th August

  And from Poland too. You arm my favourite competitor in Pekin.

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  yukisnowflake at 08:39 PM JST - 16th August

  hekska: Hi from Canada. Glad to see you are a fan of Kohei Uchimura too.

  Congratulations on your competitor from Poland, Tomasz Majewski, on winning Gold in the Shotput.

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