High drama as Japan topple China to snatch team gold

Japan claimed men's team gold for the first time in 37 years amid high drama at the world gymnastics championships on Wednesday.

Five-time world all-around champion Kohei Uchimura and teammate Yusuke Tanaka both fell off the final apparatus, the high bar, but the Japanese held on to take gold by just 0.473 points on Britain, with reigning six-time champions China taking bronze.

The Japanese scored 270.818 points after the six apparatus -- floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and high bar -- as Britain took their first world men's team medal with 270.345 and China scoring 269.959 to take the bronze.

"This time I had some mistakes. The next time I don't want to have any mistakes at all," warned Uchimura, who will bid for a sixth consecutive all-around title on Friday.

Uchimura, 26, had given an error-free presentation until the final rotation but as he began his routine the deafening roar of the crowd on seeing Max Whitlock's score for his floor routine had put Britain in with a chance of the title caused the normally ice cool gymnast to slip off the high bar.

But despite three falls including a second by Tanaka off the parallel bars, the Japanese, who lost the title last year to China by just a tenth of a point, held on to claim their sixth men's team gold and first since 1978.

The Chinese had won the past six world team titles and last two Olympic golds, with Japan settling for every silver since 2007.

"China and Japan have dominated for so many years," said Britain's Kristian Thomas.

"You expect them to be first and second. We have laid down a marker that they are definitely beatable and that the other countries as well can push for the top places."

Japan's six-man team of Uchimura, Tanaka, Kenzo Shirai, Ryohei Kato, Naoto Hayasaka and Kazume Kaya had led all the way in a final that had gotten underway amid great pomp in a party atmosphere with flame jets and traditional Scottish dancers in Glasgow.

Uchimura stepped up first with a confident 15.800 on the floor on which he won the world title in 2011, but had fallen in qualifying.

Teammate Kenzo Shirai pulled out a massive 16.325 with Hayasaka also solid to give Japan the top score of 47.258 after the rotation, a 2.683 lead on China.

The Chinese scored 44.565 on the floor with Zhang Chenglong losing points after stepping out during his performance.

China's problems continued on the pommel horse with Xiao Ruoteng dismounting allowing the Japanese to extend their lead to 6.294 points.

But the Chinese got back on track on the rings reducing the difference to 4.093 points at the halfway point with reigning world champion of the apparatus Liu Yang scoring 15.766.

The Japanese pulled ahead on the vault and maintained their lead despite Tanaka coming unstuck on the parallel bars.

The Chinese trailed by 2.093 going into the final rotation the high bar but first up China's Xiao Ruoteng and Lin Chaopan struggled to control their rotations.

"We were far away from gold at that stage," said China's Zhang Chenglong.

"But Chinese gymnastics has a very great history and this performance is a warning for us. It will be a great experience before Rio (Olympics) where we hope we can do better."

-- US appeals dismissed --

But there was drama in store with both Tanaka and Uchimura falling and the Americans lodging appeals against scores awarded to Danell Leyva on the pommel horse and Donnell Whittenburg on the floor.

Both appeals were rejected with the Americans finishing fifth behind Russia.

It was a sixth world title for Japan who had won five consecutive men's team titles from 1962.

Uchimura, who also won the 2012 all-around gold, now has 17 world medals -- eight in gold -- and can claim a ninth in Friday's men's all-around.

Russia finished fourth (268.362) with the United States fifth (267.853).

The competition continues on Thursday with US star Simone Biles bidding for a record third consecutive women's world all-around title faced with the challenge of teammate Olympic all-around gold medallist Gabby Douglas.

Both Biles, 18, and Douglas, 19, have already won team gold with the United States in Glasgow this week.

Switzerland's Giulia Steingruber qualified for the final in surprise second place behind Biles with Douglas in third and is bidding for her first world medal.
Source: AFP