Samuel Wilson 
The qualification round for the men’s gymnastics world championships this year turned out to be quite chaotic, with the U.S. men landing in second place and China narrowly avoiding missing the final altogether. This set the stage for one of the most unpredictable team finals in years.
Japan, with nearly a four-point lead in qualifications, entered the final as the clear favorites for the gold medal. Despite some shaky moments during the competition, the team managed to clinch the gold with a total score of 255.594. They defeated the reigning champions from China by a margin of 1.8 points, securing their first world team title since 2015.
Japan’s performance in the final had some rocky moments, starting with a nervous floor routine from Chiba Kenta. However, the team gradually improved over the next routines and rotations. Their strength became evident on vault, with Minami Kazuki leading the way with a stuck Kas double full. The team continued to excel on parallel bars, with three clean routines scoring in the 14.7-14.8 range. The high bar rotation, capped off by Hashimoto Daiki’s 14.366, sealed their victory.
Notably, Kaya Kazuma stood out for Japan, competing on five events and consistently scoring 14.0 or higher. Sugimoto Kaito contributed solid sets on rings and parallel bars, while Chiba recovered from his early setbacks to show clean work on rings and high bar. The team’s collective effort was the key to their success.
China, despite a rough start in prelims where they finished eighth, made a comeback in the final. They made the bold decision to replace Shi Cong with Lin Chaopan, who had just won a gold medal at the Asian Games. Lin’s steady performance across five routines, despite minor mistakes, proved to be a wise choice. His high bar score of 14.133 and improvement on pommel horse helped the team’s overall performance.
China excelled on rings, with specialists You Hao and Liu Yang earning scores of 14.866 and 15.0, respectively. They also stood out on parallel bars, with You and Sun Wei delivering strong routines. While Su Weide struggled on high bar with two falls, he contributed well on floor and vault.
Although China had an advantage on rings, Japan’s overall strength and balance on various apparatuses secured their victory. It was clear that Japan was the stronger team this year, winning on four out of six events and coming close on the fifth.
The U.S. men qualified in second place, and the competition in the final was expected to be between Japan and China for gold, with the United States and Great Britain vying for bronze. The U.S. team, led by Yul Moldauer, had a strong program and a good chance at a medal.
During the final, a few minor issues, including a fall on pommel horse by Khoi Young and difficulty credit discrepancies for Fred Richard, created some nervous moments. However, the team rallied with a strong floor rotation and made up ground on rings and vault, where Asher Hong impressed with a 15.1. The parallel bars and high bar rotations went smoothly for the U.S., with Paul Juda and Richard delivering standout performances.
The U.S. men’s exceptional high bar performance, traditionally a weak spot, secured the bronze medal for them. Their score of 252.428 was less than a point and a half behind the silver medalists. This marked the first team medal for the U.S. men since 2014, breaking a frustrating streak of fourth and fifth-place finishes.
The British men, on the other hand, faced challenges, with falls on high bar and pommel horse. Despite strong performances on other apparatuses, a fall from Harry Hepworth on floor took them out of medal contention. Max Whitlock and Jake Jarman delivered excellent performances, with Jarman contributing five solid routines to the team.
Other teams in the competition, including Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, did not contend for medals but had notable performances. Canada’s fourth-place finish in prelims was a surprise, and they focused on Olympic qualification. Germany, despite injuries and team changes, exceeded expectations by making the team final. Switzerland finished fifth, Germany sixth, Canada seventh, and Italy eighth.
Overall, the men’s gymnastics world championships featured unexpected results, thrilling moments, and some teams surpassing expectations, making it an exciting competition for fans of the sport.
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Dive Digest journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.