Japan extends streak in men’s all-around as Shinnosuke Oka wins Olympic title in Paris
PARIS – Japan boasts the best men’s all-around gymnast for the fourth-straight Olympic Games after Shinnosuke Oka (86.832), the 20-year-old newcomer, bested China’s Zhang Boheng (86.599) and Xiao Ruoteng (86.364) for gold inside Bercy Arena on Wednesday.
It wasn’t necessarily a surprise; Oka qualified second behind Zhang, but with 2020 Olympic champion Daiki Hashimoto having qualified third, it was always going to be a battle for the top spot.
“I’ve achieved creating a mark as (an Olympic) champion,” Oka said. “Now, I want to continue challenging myself and keep winning as the audience expects me to. That spirit of challenge is something I don’t want to lose.”
Early mistakes from Zhang and Hashimoto opened the door for Oka, who had no major mistakes through six rotations. Zhang had a fall on floor on his 3.5 twist to tuck half, and Hashimoto fell on pommel horse – a pivotal score for him – in the second rotation. Still, it came down to the final rotation to decide the medalists. Fully capable of a 15+ (he did it in qualifying), Zhang dismounted high bar and seemed to think he’d snapped Japan’s streak, but a 14.633 wasn’t enough.
“I’m not sure what it means to me,” Zhang said. “It’s the second place at the Olympics and I’m not really happy with the result, but there’s nothing I can do.”
Zhang won the silver – 0.233 back from Oka – after a quad that saw him become the 2021 world all-around champion and 2022 world silver medalist. He always seemed to be in a friendly battle with Hashimoto – the two-time defending world champion (’22, ’23) and 2021 world silver medalist.
“When he fell, we both laughed,” Zhang said of his and Hashimoto’s mistakes in the first two rotations. “We both knew how difficult it had been for each other.”
It was an inspiring performance from 2020 silver medalist Ruoteng, who took the bronze after a bumpy quad that saw him setback by injuries.
“I cherished the chance to perform on this apparatus a lot,” Xiao said of finishing on high bar. “It might be my last time performing at such a huge competition ever again, so I did it as if it would be my last.”
Ukraine’s Illia Kovtun was fourth, and Great Britain’s Joe Fraser rounded out the top five. Hashimoto was sixth.
The Americans, Paul Juda and Fred Richard, were 14th and 15th, respectively.
Richard was unable to replicate his impressive bronze medal from 2023 Worlds – he said he was still gassed from the team final – but the two Michigan gymnasts close their Games ranking within the top 15 in the world. It’s an especially inspiring feat for Juda, who wasn’t expected to qualify to the all-around final in the first place, but after multiple mistakes from teammate Brody Malone in qualifying, and a lights out performance on his part, he achieved another goal that was written on his legendary whiteboard at home.
All in all, Juda hit 16/16 routines in Paris, finishing as the top American in the all-around and winning a bronze medal with Richard and the rest of the U.S. team. No doubt a successful Games.
Keep reading for a play-by-play of how the meet unfolded. Click here to jump to the start of the updates.
Wed. July 31 @ 8:32 p.m.
A class act: Even in the face of defeat, 2020 Olympic champion Daiki Hashimoto gets a round of applause as he’s leaving the arena and stops to give autographs to some fans.
Wed. July 31 @ 8:17 p.m.
Wed. July 31 @ 8:14 p.m.
The podium is:
- Gold: Shinnosuke Oka (JPN)
- Silver: Zhang Boheng (CHN)
- Bronze: Xiao Ruoteng (CHN)
- 4th: Illia Kovtun (UKR)
- 5th: Joe Fraser (GBR)
- 6th: Daiki Hashimoto (JPN)
- 7th: Jake Jarman (GBR)
- 8th: Oleg Verniaiev (UKR)
Wed. July 31 @ 8:10 p.m.
Zhang Boheng (CHN) HB: Can he win the title. Tak full. Tak half, on top of the bar, to Kolman. Cassina. Laid-out Tkatchev. Straddle Tkatchev, you could hear a pin drop right now. STUCK laid-out double-double.
Wed. July 31 @ 8:06 p.m.
Shinnosuke Oka (JPN) HB: Tak full, excellent. Tak half. Kolman. Laid-out Tkatchev. Straddle Tkatchev. Daiki Hashimoto is rooting him on. Laid-out double-double, hop back. Will surely be on the podium, but what color!? 14.500 – he’s on top right now with an 86.832!
Wed. July 31 @ 8:04 p.m.
Paul Juda has hit every routine at this Olympic Games. Can he hit one more? He’s surely been the MVP of this U.S. team, and he finishes his Games with a beautiful horse set! What a guy! 13.866. He’s 11th right now, followed by Fred Richard.
Wed. July 31 @ 8:05 p.m.
Daiki Hashimoto (JPN) HB: The reigning Olympic champion on this apparatus and the defending Olympic all-around champion, for perhaps the last routine. Tak half. Liukin. Cassina. Kolman. Laid-out Tkatchev. Tak full, bit funky. Stalder. Hop 1/1. Laid-out double-double, hops back, but he finishes on a strong note! 14.400 – he will not repeat as champion.
Wed. July 31 @ 7:59 p.m.
Illia Kovtun goes 14.700 on floor to finish with an 86.165 and jump into first!
Fred Richard (USA) FX: Had a great go, but falls forward on his last pass, putting his hands down. Very similar to floor finals at 2023 worlds. No all-around medal this year, but he’s got an Olympic bronze and, at 20 years old, a bright future ahead!
Xiao Ruoteng (CHN) HB: Didn’t catch the opening. Laid-out Tkatchev. Straddle Tkatchev to pike Tkatchev. Intricate jam work. Hop 1/1. Laid-out double-double, small single step back. 14.366.
Wed. July 31 @ 7:54 p.m.
Joe Fraser (GBR) HB = 14.266 – big score for Joe! He finishes with an 85.532.
Wed. July 31 @ 7:46 p.m.
As the leaders head to high bar, here’s what they scored in qualifying:
- Shinnosuke Oka = 14.533
- Zhang Boheng = 15.133
- Xiao Ruoteng = 13.833
Zhang has the upperhand.
Wed. July 31 @ 7:43 p.m.
One rotation left, and the defending Olympic champion Daiki Hashimoto seems out of it after a 14.433 on parallel bars has him 7th.
His teammate Shinnosuke Oka is the youngest member of the Japanese team, similar to Hashimoto in Tokyo, and is in the lead following a 15.100 on parallel bars. He has a 0.334 lead on China’s Xiao Ruoteng, who is 0.032 behind his teammate.
Wed. July 31 @ 7:35 p.m.
Xiao Ruoteng (CHN) PB = 14.766
Wed. July 31 @ 7:30 p.m.
Joe Fraser (GBR) PB = 14.933
Wed. July 31 @ 7:30 p.m.
Fred Richard (USA) HB: Cassina, beautiful. Kovacs, flared out and lovely. Liukin, massive! Straddle Tkatchev to pike Tkatchev. Oleg Verniaiev looking on and clapping. One-arm giant. Tak full. Tak half. Laid-out double-double, hop forward, and Brody Malone is also on the floor with him jumping up and down. 14.400.
Wed. July 31 @ 7:27 p.m.
Zhang Boheng (CHN) PB = 15.300 – into 1st!
Illia Kovtun (UKR) HB: One-arm giant 1/1. Tak full. Tak half. Kovacs, bit close. Laid-out Tkatchev to straddle Tkatchev to pike Tkatchev. Stalder. Hop 1/1. Laid-out double-double, hop back. 13.833.
Wed. July 31 @ 7:21 p.m.
Paul Juda (USA) FX: Tucked double-double, stuck. 2.5 to front tuck, bit of a stumble back. Randi, hop back. Double full, stuck. Flairs. 2.5 to half. Half-in, half-out, hop forward. 13.533.
Oleg Verniaiev (UKR) HB = 12.700
Wed. July 31 @ 7:19 p.m.
Rotation 5 coming up!
Wed. July 31 @ 7:15 p.m.
Four rotations in, Ukraine’s Oleg Verniaiev and Illia Kovtun are 1-2!
Wed. July 31 @ 7:13 p.m.
Fred Richard with the stick for his double front over on parallel bars. 14.133.
Before him, Illia Kovtun (UKR) put up a BIG 15.400 on parallel bars to move into second behind teammate Verniaiev.
Wed. July 31 @ 7:08 p.m.
Daiki Hashimoto (JPN) VT: Kas double, hop back – 14.766.
Wed. July 31 @ 7:06 p.m.
Casimir Schmidt (NED) HB: One-arm giant 1/1. Tak half. Kovacs. Tak full, bit over. Jam sequence. Laid-out double-double, didn’t seem to have a lot of amplitude, but gets it around nonetheless.
Xiao Ruoteng (CHN) VT: Kas double, very clean. 14.833.
2016 Olympic all-around silver medalist and parallel bars gold medalist Oleg Verniaiev currently in first after a 15.000 on parallel bars. He missed the last Games due to a suspension for doping, but got that suspension reduced last spring. What a story if he makes a return to the podium here.
Wed. July 31 @ 7:02 p.m.
Jake Jarman (GBR) VT: Reigning world champ on this event! Kas 2.5, small hop and a single step over the line. MASSIVE! 15.166.
Wed. July 31 @ 7:00 p.m.
Joe Fraser (GBR) VT: Kas 1.5, clean. 14.333.
Meanwhile, Milad Karimi (KAZ) off on high bar. 12.700.
Wed. July 31 @ 6:59 p.m.
After a long wait to start on vault, it’s current leader Shinnosuke Oka up first. Kas 1.5, deep in the knees but basically stuck. Teammate Daiki Hashimoto celebrates by lifting his hands and sticking his tongue out! 14.300.
Paul Juda (USA) HB: Yamawaki. Kovacs. Laid-out Tkatchev. Straddle Tkatchev to pike Tkatchev. Tak. Tak half. Full-twisting double layout, stuck, and immediately pumps his fists in the air. 13.766.
Zhang Boheng (CHN) VT: Kas double, small hop forward. 14.500.
Wed. July 31 @ 6:50 p.m.
At the halfway mark:
Wed. July 31 @ 6:47 p.m.
Felix Dolci getting a redo on high bar because his grip breaking was beyond his control. One-arm giant 1/1. Tak full, over the wrong way, but gets his swing back. Tak half. Cassina, good. Kolman, and he’s off. He is fighting, just not his day. Laid-out Tkatchev. Straddle Tkatchev. Stalder. Laid-out double-double, small hop. This crowd is behind him 100%, rooting for him to get back up and going WILD when he lands the dismount. 11.733.
Wed. July 31 @ 6:36 p.m.
Fred Richard (USA) VT: Kas 1.5, hop back. 14.100.
Wed. July 31 @ 6:36 p.m.
Zhang Boheng (CHN) SR = 14.600
Wed. July 31 @ 6:34 p.m.
Illia Kovtun (UKR) VT: Kas 1.5, single step forward and over the line. 14.266.
Wed. July 31 @ 6:34 p.m.
Shinnosuke Oka (JPN) SR = 13.666 – inquiry submitted, accepted. New score: 13.866.
Wed. July 31 @ 6:32 p.m.
Oleg Verniaiev (UKR) VT: Double front half, lands on the line. Fights for the stick, arm swinging, and he has to take a hop forward. 14.400.
Wed. July 31 @ 6:30 p.m.
Daiki Hashimoto (JPN) SR = 13.400 – inquiry submitted, declined.
Wed. July 31 @ 6:29 p.m.
Carlos Yulo (PHI) VT: Front double pike half, over the line. 14.766 after the 0.3 neutral deduction.
Wed. July 31 @ 6:28 p.m.
Felix Dolci (CAN) with a nasty fall on high bar. Looked like his grip broke. Took a while to get up, but he seems okay.
Wed. July 31 @ 6:21 p.m.
Zhang Boheng was the top qualifier with a big 88.597 – 1.732 ahead of Shinnosuke Oka in second. On floor alone, he lost 1.233 compared to qualifying due to the fall.
Wed. July 31 @ 6:18 p.m.
Scores from around the arena:
- Fred Richard (USA) SR = 13.600
- Carlos Yulo (PHI) SR = 13.933
- Oleg Verniaiev (UKR) SR = 13.533
Wed. July 31 @ 6:15 p.m.
Some score updates from the leaders on pommel horse:
- Xiao Ruoteng (CHN) = 14.266
- Shinnosuke Oka (JPN) = 14.500
- Zhang Boheng (CHN) = 14.333
- Joe Fraser (GBR) = 13.700
Wed. July 31 @ 6:10 p.m.
Paul Juda (USA) VT: Uncharacteristically messy vault from Paul. Looked like he didn’t have the rotations before landing the Kas 1.5. Takes multiple steps to the side. 13.733.
Wed. July 31 @ 6:06 p.m.
Daiki Hashimoto (JPN) off on pommel horse. 12.966.
Wed. July 31 @ 6:00 p.m.
Rotation 2!
Wed. July 31 @ 6:00 p.m.
Rotation 1 score update:
- Oleg Verniaiev (UKR) PH = 14.833
- Illia Kovtun (UKR) PH = 14.633
- Matteo Giubellini (SUI) PH = 14.533
- Diogo Soares (BRA) VT = 14.500
Wed. July 31 @ 5:58 p.m.
Joe Fraser (GBR) FX: Tucked triple-double, single step. Front full to front double tuck. Tucked double-double. Stuck double twist. 2.5 to front layout, soft knees. Full-twisting double back. 14.300.
Paul Juda (USA) SR = 13.433
Wed. July 31 @ 5:52 p.m.
Zhang Boheng (CHN) FX: Front double full to front double pike. 3.5 to front tuck half, and he’s severely under-rotated, falling forward onto his head. Not a hard fall and keeps going, but that is a disastrous early mistake. 13.233.
Wed. July 31 @ 5:48 p.m.
Shinnosuke Oka (JPN) FX: Full-twisting double layout, small hop. Front full to Randi, stuck. Tucked double-double, stuck. Double full, stuck. 2.5 twist, hop back. 14.566.
Wed. July 31 @ 5:45 p.m.
Daiki Hashimoto (JPN) FX: The defending all-around champion! He didn’t have the best qualifying, but that’s all in the past. Scores reset. This will set the momentum for the night… Tucked triple-double, hop. Tucked double-double Front full to Randi, small hop and a step. Double full, fights for the stick. 2.5 to front layout. Triple twist, fights for the stick. 14.633.
Carlos Yulo (PHI) was going up for his dismount on pommel horse when disaster struck. He took a nasty fall. Not a good development for him, since he doesn’t have room for mistakes compared to the leaders. 11.900.
Wed. July 31 @ 5:40 p.m.
2023 World all-around bronze medalist Fred Richard up on horse, and he makes a major mistake early, putting his hand on the horse while in a handstand on the pommels. He falls soon after, seemingly slipping. 12.733.
Wed. July 31 @ 5:40 p.m.
Xiao Ruoteng (CHN) FX: Randi, small adjustment. Front double full to front layout, small hop in place. Tucked double-double, big hop back. 2.5 to front full, clean. Double full, stuck. Triple twist, small hop. Very clean set from Xiao. 14.333.
Felix Dolci (CAN) VT: Kas 1.5, hop forward, may have been over the line. 14.366.
Wed. July 31 @ 5:37 p.m.
Jake Jarman (GBR) FX: Laid-out triple-double. 2.5 to front double tuck, large hop forward. Tucked triple-double. Triple twist to the side, small hop. Front full to Randi, bit of a bounce. 3.5 twist. 14.900.
Wed. July 31 @ 5:34 p.m.
Rotation 1 happening now! We’ll focus on the leaders in Olympic order and the Americans, peppering in other updates throughout. The top three qualifiers, of course, are China’s Zhang Boheng, Japan’s Shinnosuke Oka, and the defending Olympic champion, Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto – they will start on floor. Joining them are Xiao Ruoteng (CHN), who is the 2020 Olympic all-around silver medalist, and Brits Jake Jarman and Joe Fraser.
Fred Richard (USA) starts on pommel horse in a group highlighted by the Ukrainians, Illia Kovtun and Oleg Verniaiev, as well as Carlos Yulo (PHI).
Paul Juda (USA) starts on rings.
Wed. July 31 @ 5:25 p.m.
Intros are happening now!
Wed. July 31 @ 4:30 p.m.
Welcome to our live blog of the men’s all-around final at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games! We are live inside Bercy Arena, where competition will begin at 5:30 p.m. CEST/11:30 a.m. EDT. See the top of the page for key links, including a schedule, start list, and qualifying recap.
