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For once, the silence of an empty arena matched the moment.
Four-time Olympian and one of Japan’s most beloved athletes, Kohei Uchimura was on the high bar, performing a series of very complex maneuvers in a qualifying event. As he neared the end of his most difficult routine, a hand slipped and he fell to the mat below. The fall ended any chance Uchimura might have had a medal in his home country, and he – and the few dozen people around the Ariake Gymnastics Center watching – knew it.
Uchimura, 32, did not advance to the high bar final, his only event at the Tokyo Games. It is not part of the Japan team competition.
“I couldn’t perform what I practiced,” he said. “It’s like that, I just think. In the last three Olympics, I was able to do what I was practicing. But I couldn’t do it at these Olympics.”
For over a decade, Uchimura has been a dominant figure in men’s gymnastics. From 2009 to 2016, he won all the all-around titles possible at the World Championships or the Olympic Games. His gold medals in London and Rio made him the first male gymnast to successfully defend his all-around title in 44 years. He also won all-around silver in Beijing in 2008.
In total, Uchimura is a seven-time Olympic medalist, with three gold and four silver, and 21-time world medalist. He is the first gymnast, male or female, to win all the major all-around competitions in a four-year Olympic cycle.
On Saturday Uchimura spent a long time on the mat, then took a deep breath and rose to the high bar again to complete his routine. Afterwards, he was asked if this was his last competition.
“No, but, I don’t know,” he said. “Let me think about it when I return to the accommodation. “
But his body language and the realities of youth-led sport indicated an answer.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter at @jaybusbee or contact him at [email protected].
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