China's Wei Sun reacts after competing on the floor exercise in the men's all-around final during the World Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, October 5, 2023. /CFP
In most premier sporting events, where the finest athletes converge, the tiniest misstep can easily snowball into a grave error. Gymnastics stalwart Sun Wei, without a doubt, intimately understands the weight of this reality.
In the highly anticipated men's all-around final of the World Gymnastics Championships on Thursday night, the 28-year-old Chinese star unexpectedly stumbled upon a few rare mistakes, which ultimately resulted in him securing a mere seventh position in the final standings.
In a remarkable juxtaposition, Japan's Olympic champion, Daiki Hashimoto, demonstrated immense resilience by rebounding after a challenging qualifying phase and successfully defending his coveted title.
With an impressive score of 86.132 points, Hashimoto secured a commanding lead of over a point, surpassing Ukraine's Illia Kovtun who clinched the silver medal. The young American prodigy Frederick Richard finished third.
Japan's Daiki Hashimoto celebrates with his gold medal after the men's all-around final during the World Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, October 5, 2023. /CFP
In adherence to the rule that permits only two contenders per country in the all-around final, there was a possibility that Hashimoto might have been excluded due to his lackluster showing in Sunday's qualifying event.
However, his team made the astute choice of retaining him at the expense of Kazuma Kaya. This decision ultimately proved to be a wise one for Japan.
Hashimoto started with an almost flawless floor routine, captivating the audience with his exquisite display. However, a sense of frustration engulfed the 22-year-old as he took a substantial step forward during his final landing.
Admirably, he swiftly composed himself and proceeded to deliver a brilliant performance and secured the illustrious title in gymnastics for the second consecutive year.
China's Wei Sun after the men's all-around final during the World Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, October 5, 2023. /CFP
"I was a little nervous, but less than in qualifying," said Hashimoto afterwards. "So I thought everything would be fine today, but I couldn't control myself as well... After the floor, I told myself I had no choice but to do better."
In a departure from the triumphant comeback of Hashimoto, Sun's journey took a different turn. Holding a steady top-three position in the first four rotations, Sun encountered a setback during the floor exercise, as both his feet landed outside the designated boundaries.
Adding to the unfortunate turn of events, Sun faced another hurdle in the final rotation on the pommel horse, where he unfortunately lost his grip and fell from the apparatus. As a result, his efforts earned him a rather disappointing score of just 82.698 points.