ESSEN, Germany, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Shinnosuke Oka, the 2024 Olympic gymnastics all-around champion from Japan, is set to compete at the Rhine-Ruhr World University Games.
Oka placed first in the all-around and led Japan to team gold at last month's Asian Championships, displaying strong form.
Almost exactly one year after claiming Olympic gold in Paris 2024, Oka enters the Universiade as a favorite for multiple titles in Essen.
The 21-year-old etched his name into the Japanese gymnastics history at the Paris Olympics by winning gold in the all-around, horizontal bar, and team events, as well as a bronze on the parallel bars. He became the first Japanese male gymnast since Sawao Kato in 1968 and 1972 to win three golds at a single Games, and Japan's fourth consecutive Olympic gold medalist in men's all-around.
Despite his success, Oka acknowledged the mounting expectations.
"With good results, expectations and pressure increase," Oka said at Paris 2024. "I aim to keep performing at my best and become a consistent winner. My desire to win hasn't changed. But since the Olympics, I'm no longer the underdog. I always feel tremendous pressure."
In Essen, Oka will be joined by fellow Olympic champion Daiki Hashimoto, a teammate on Japan's gold medal-winning squad in Paris and the men's all-around champion at Tokyo 2020. Hashimoto also competed at the Chengdu Universiade two years ago, where he helped Japan earn silver.
The Japanese squad also includes Tomoharu Tsunogai, a triple gold medalist at the 2023 Junior World Championships. They will face a strong challenge from defending champions China, who are fielding a new-look men's team.
Other notable names in the men's competition include Pan American Games champion Felix Dolci of Canada, three-time European floor gold medalist Luke Whitehouse of Britain, and European pommel horse champion Hamlet Manukyan of Armenia. Nazar Chepurnyi of Ukraine, the vault gold medalist at the Chengdu Universiade, is the only returning men's champion.
In the women's events, China is considered a favorite after winning all but one title at the previous Universiade. Japan will pose a serious challenge, with 2021 world balance beam champion Urara Ashikawa, Olympian Mana Okamura, and reigning vault champion Shoko Miyata headlining the squad. Miyata is the only returning female gold medalist from Chengdu.
The artistic gymnastics competition runs from July 22 to 26, with medals awarded in the team, all-around, and individual apparatus events. ■
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