The key facts

  • Hashimoto won the all-around by a margin of 1.799 points over Yang Haonan — the largest in 13 years at the Olympics and Worlds
  • For the 25-year-old Japanese it is a seventh world title and fourth consecutive in the all-around
  • Arseny Dukhno trailed by 0.1 before the final apparatus, but fell off the horizontal bar and finished seventh

Hashimoto retains title in Rotterdam

Japan's Daiki Hashimoto won the men's individual all-around at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, AFP reports. He finished ahead of China's Yang Haonan and Britain's Joe Fraser. The day before, the 25-year-old native of Narita had already claimed gold in the team event. The all-around victory became his seventh world title and fourth consecutive in the all-around.

Largest margin in 13 years

Hashimoto finished 1.799 points ahead of Yang Haonan — according to AFP, this is the largest winning margin in the men's all-around at the Olympic Games or World Championships in the past 13 years. The agency calls him a worthy successor to his compatriot Kohei Uchimura, who won a record six consecutive world all-around titles from 2009 to 2015.

Course of the competition

During the competition, Hashimoto initially trailed the composed Yang Haonan and started modestly on the first two apparatus — floor exercise and rings. The turning point came with two outstanding performances on the parallel bars and horizontal bar, which allowed the three-time Olympic champion to surge ahead.

Oka and Dukhno's misfortunes

Reigning Olympic champion Shinnosuke Oka had an unsuccessful evening: two botched landings on the vault in the fourth rotation cost him any chance of a podium finish. An even more disappointing final came for Russia's Arseny Dukhno: before the last apparatus he trailed Hashimoto by just one-tenth of a point, but, missing his grip, he fell off the horizontal bar. It cost him not only gold but a medal altogether — he finished seventh.

What's next

According to AFP, the World Championships will continue with the women's individual all-around.