Uchimura Kohei (surname first) won the all-around title at the 2011 World Gymnastics Championships held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Japan on Friday, October 14, 2011.
What's even more amazing is that this is his third world gymnastic championship title in as many years, becoming the first man in history to do it!
Uchimura's closest competitor was Philipp Boyy of Germany, and even he was three points behind--it was also his largest margin of victory at the championships as he won four of the six events.
Uchimura finished with 93.631 points; Boy was second for the second year running with Japan's Yamamuro Koji Yamamuro, Uchimura’s training partner, winning the bronze medal.
Uchimura has become a celebrity in Japan, and like other athletes, he said he hoped his performance could invigorate the people of Japan who are still in shock from the 9.0 Magnitude earthquake and tsunami (and subsequent nuclear radiation concerns) that hit the northeast coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. Uchimura and other gymnasts wore a patch on his uniform to support the relief effort.
Uchimura hasn’t been beaten since the Beijing Olympics, where he won the silver medal.
At the moment, I think nobody can beat Kohei Uchimura,” notes Boyy. "He’s a very special gymnast. It looks beautiful and he makes no mistakes. He’s really kind of a machine. It’s amazing.”
Uchimura Data
Born: January 3, 1989 (22-years-old), Nagasaki, Japan
Club: KONAMI
Head Coach: Kato Hiroyuki
Assistant Coaches: Gushiken Koji, Hatakeda Yoghiaki
Olympics: Silver - 2x;
World Championships: 3 - 2009, 2010, 2011
He began gymnastics at the age of 3 at his parent's sports club.
Files by Andrew Joseph - and wish my brother Ben on his birthday today!
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