Japan gymnasts under injury cloud for home Asian Games
TOKYO: Japan men’s gymnastics team for their home Asian Games this month includes multiple Olympic and world champions, but serious injuries have clouded their chances.
TOKYO: Japan's men's gymnastics squad, featuring Olympic and world champions, faces injury concerns ahead of the home Asian Games. Shinnosuke Oka, who took home gold in the all-around, team, and horizontal bar events at the 2024 Paris Olympics, is battling a lower back injury sustained last week. The Games commence in Nagoya and Aichi on September 19, with gymnastics competitions starting two days later.
Former junior world champion Tomoharu Tsunogai is also dealing with a serious ankle injury, while Shoma Tsukiyama's lower back pain has left three of Japan's five-man team carrying injuries.
Oka participated in a team practice but declined to comment on his condition. Despite the setback, he expressed his determination to compete for gold. Japan's team boasts reigning Olympic and former Olympic champions Daiki Hashimoto and Kiichi Kaneda. Japan's team leader, Kensuke Murata, said he would reassess the team's fitness and make any necessary adjustments before the September 16 deadline.
Ashamed of Japan's injury issues, Hashimoto, who won gold in Tokyo in 2021 and has won the world all-around title three times, advised focusing on what can be achieved.
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