Gymnastics: Japan's rhythmic group secures 1st 2028 Olympic berth
FRANKFURT (Kyodo) -- Japan finished second in the rhythmic gymnastics group all-around at the World Championships on Saturday to secure the country's
Japan's rhythmic gymnastics team secured their first qualification berth for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after finishing second at the World Championships, Kyodo news reported. Defending champions Hisano Taguchi, Megumi Nishimoto, Natsumi Hanamura, Yuna Tanaka, Kaseno Tanabe, and Rin Manabe earned a combined total of 56.700 points from their two routines, narrowly missing out to Spain, who claimed gold with 57.450 points.
Brazil placed third, securing the top three teams' Olympic quota places. Japan's rhythmic gymnastics team qualified for the Olympics for the first time since the 2021 Tokyo Games. Team captain Taguchi expressed her overwhelming emotions, stating, "I am overwhelmed and it still doesn't feel real." She highlighted their intense preparation in Japan to perform under pressure.
Taguchi also emphasized the team's determination to make it to Los Angeles, noting that their self-securing of the berth has boosted their confidence.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
