IN 2015
Uchimura is overall champion again
For the 6th time Kohei Uchimura proved he was invincible as an all round gymnast on Oct 30. This time he smoothly performed on the high bar this time and clinched the gold. Uchimura also won the gold in individual events in the horizontal bar and
Team gold for Japan at the World Championships
Kohei Uchimura fell from the high bar during the team event on Oct 29. However, young gymnasts including Kenzo Shirai made up for it with good scores in the floor event and pommel horse. For the first time in 37 years team Japan clinched the championship gold.
IN 2013
Medal rush for Japan at the World Championships
In Belgium's Antwerp, Kohei Uchimura finished first in the overall competition on Oct 3.
Its his 4th overall title in a row.
Winning the silver, Ryohei Kato.
Uchimura also won the gold in the individual event of parallel bar, tying with Chinese Lin Chaopan for
the gold.He also won a bronze in the horizontal bar and the floor exercise.
A new rising star 17 year old Kenzo Shirai won the gold in the floor exercise by showing a
quadruple twist which has been named Shirai.
Another newcomer Kohei Kameyama was first in the pommel horse.
IN 2011
World Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo
The championship opened on Oct 7 at Tokyo Gymnasium.
The first good news for Japan. The women's team won a ticket to London Olympic Games by coming in 5th.
Japanese men won 2nd place in the team event.
The very big achievement was by Kohei Uchimura. He won the overall gold for the 3rd time
making him the first ever.
He also won a gold in the floor exercise, making him the first Japanese to win in 37 years.
In the bar, he was 3rd.
In other individual events, Makoto Okiguchi was 3rd in the pommel horse.
IN 2010
Uchimura wins overall gold again and more
It's a feat. On Oct 22, Kohei Uchimura topped everyone else in the men's
all-round event at the World Championships.
He's the only Japanese who's won the title 2 championships in a row.
This makes him only the 3rd person in the world to do so.
As in the individual event, Uchimura finished 2nd in the floor, 3rd in the parallel bars.
Silver medal in men's team event
Japan's men's team was revamped with new faces except for Kohei Uchimura and
performed well at the World Championships in the Netherlands on Oct 21.
But the team did not win enough points to overwhelm China, and for 2 championships
in a row won the team silver.
IN 2009
Tsurumi is first woman medalist in 43 years
Japan's feat did not stop with Uchimura's at the World Championships.
On Oct 17, 17 year old Koko Tsurumi finished 3rd in the women's overall competition.
She's become the youngest Japanese medalist in gymnastics.
Uchimura wins overall gold
At the World Championships in London on Oct 16,
20 year old Kohei Uchimura became the youngest ever Japanese to win the overall title.
There were 3 Japanese before him.
It's by overcoming the mistakes he made in the pommel horse at the Beijing Olympics where
he won the silver.
IN 2005
Tomita wins overall gold
25 year old Hiroyuki Tomita achieved a first feat in 31 years. He won the gold medal in the men's overall event at the
World Championships in Melbourne on Nov 24.
A big hand also goes to Hisashi Mizutori who finished 2nd.
IN 2003
Kashima wins 2nd gold
The 23-year old is incredible. Takehiro Kashima performed well on the horizontal bar on Aug 24 at
the World Championships.
He scored 9.775 to win first in the competition.
It's the first time in 29 years that a Japanese took the horizontal bar gold.
It's Kashima's 2nd gold in this event.
Kashima clinches gold in the pommel
Its for the first time ever, that a Japanese individual won the gold medal in the pommel horse.
The feat was achieved by 23 year old Takehiro Kashima on Aug 23 in Anaheim California.
He tied for first with China's Teng Haibin earning 9.762 points at the World Championships.
A gold in an individual event is in fact the first since Koji Kushiken 20 years ago.
Japan men resuscitated in World Championships
In the final round of the men's team event on Aug 19, Japan did well.
It's ace gymnasts Naoya Tsukahara and Hiroyuki Tomita helped the team finish 3rd.
It's the first time since the 1995 World Championships that Japan won a medal in the event.
Japan won a medal in the men's individual event too. On Aug 21,
Hiroyuki Tomita clinched the bronze.
Naoya Tsukahara was doing well, but fell from the bar to finished 7th.
IN 2000
Olympians to Sydney finalized
Beside the obvious, Naoya Tsukahara who was the only one chosen to represent Japan in the Olympics earlier,
the remaining berths were filled up on May 28.
There will be 6 men, and 2 women going to Sydney.
Akihiro Kasamatsu is son of Shigeru Kasamatsu who clinced 3 medals in 1972 Munich.
He's 23 years old.
IN 1999
It's Tsukahara again at World Championships
On the 5th day of the World Gymnastics Championships held in China on Oct. 14,
22 year-old won the silver medal in the men's all-round event.
It's the second time this college student clinched a World Championships medal.
The best among Japanese women was 28th.
Then on Oct. 16, Tsukahara came in 2nd too in the individual event forthe parallel bar.
He with success with "morisue" techniques.
IN 1997
Tsukahara wins another bronze
Tsukahara Jr. did it again. The finals of the World Gymnastics Championships for individual events took place on Sept.7.
Naoya Tsukahara came in 3rd in the parallel bar.
Japanese wins a bronze at the World Championships
Japan's Naoya Tsukahara came in third in the men's all-round title on Sept. 5
in Lausanne, Switzerland.
He performed the best on the vault, marking 9.60.
It's the first time since 1984 that a Japanese won a medal in the all-round event
for such an important championship.
The last person was Koji Gushiken who clinched the gold at the Los Angeles Olympic Games.
20 year-old Tsukara, by the way, is the son of Olympian parents.
His father, Mitsuo, won medals at 3 Olympics.
The overall gold of the World Gymnastics Championships went to Ivan Ivankov of Belarus.