Hiroyuki Tomita
Encyclopedia
Hiroyuki Tomita is a Japan
ese gymnast
. Tomita has three Olympic medals from the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
at the age of eight with his mother getting him started into the sport. He attended Rakunan High School and began competing in the All-Japan Highschool Games in 1996. In this first competition, he ranked 10th in the all-around. The next year saw a rise in Tomita's competition results with a 1st in the all-around. He participated in the 1997 All-Japan Junior Championships with a 9th in the all-around. Tomita continued to dominate the All-Japan HIghschool Games, winning 1st in the all-around in 1998, and placing 1st in the events such as the high bar
(which would later become his signature event), the parallel bars (where he would later win an Olympic medal), and the pommel horse
. After graduating from Ronan High School, he attended Juntendo University.
. The following year, he was a member of the Japanese men's team which won a bronze in the 2003 World Championships. He also won the bronze medal in the men's all-around in the same competition, establishing himself as one of Japan's top male gymnasts, with his star teammate, Naoya Tsukahara, ranking only 7th in the all-around.
Due to his beautiful, elegant, clean, and crisp gymnastics style, Tomita received the "Longines Prize for Elegance" on September 7, 2007 in Stuttgart, Germany
, along with Shawn Johnson
. The prize is given in recognition of athletes who demonstrate remarkable elegance in the course of an international competition at world level; the decision was unanimous. In addition to the trophy, designed by the Swiss artist Piero Travaglini, recipients also receive a wristwatch from the Longines Evidenza collection and a check for US$5,000.
, Tomita established himself as the top gymnast in the world by claiming the all-around title. Tomita's win made him the first Japanese gymnast in 31 years to win the men's World Championship. Tomita went into the final rotation more than one point ahead and finished on the high bar routine, with a total of 56.698 points. Tomita's teammate, Hisashi Mizutori
, claimed the men's all-around silver medal, establishing Japan as a serious men's gymnastics power.
In the 2006 World Championships, Tomita missed a full-twisting Kovacs
on high bar in the team competition. The Japanese men's team wound up third. In the all-around competition, Tomita was ranked third after five apparatus events. His last event was the high bar where he fell in the team competition. Tomita gave an inspired performance and won the silver, behind Chinese gymnast, Yang Wei
. He also won a silver on parallel bars, with the Japanese team winning the bronze team medal.
In the 2007 World Championships, the men's teams of Japan and China established a rivalry for the top men's team spot that would find China at the top and Japan with the silver team medal. Tomita did not fare well in the all-around competition, placing 12th, with teammate Hisashi Mizutori claiming the all-around bronze. Tomita qualified for the event finals in the high bar, rings and pommel horse, but did not win a medal in these events.
Based on the preliminary rounds of the competition, Tomita finished sixth in the all-around qualifier. Kōhei Uchimura
and Koki Sakamoto
finished ahead of him, ranking fourth and fifth respectively. Tomita fell on vault in the qualifier, thus finishing .050 behind his teammate, Koki Sakamoto. The top 24 gymnasts based on the preliminary results would qualify to compete in the all-around, because of the rule that only the top two qualifiers of each country would advance to the all-around competition, it appeared that Tomita would not continue to the all-around finals, with his teammates Uchimura and Sakamoto competing instead. However, Japanese head coach, Koji Gushiken, announced that Tomita would replace Sakamoto and compete in the all-around, due to his experience.
In the all-around competition, Tomita was in medal contention until on his third event, still rings, an accident caused him to crash on the mat from the rings. Tomita was shown to be in pain after his fall and was later observed to be applying an ice pack to his neck. Apparently, the accident caused Tomita to injure his neck, shoulder and lower back. Tomita however continued with the competition and performed well in the last three events lined up. In the end, French gymnast Benoît Caranobe
edged out Tomita for an all-around bronze by 0.175. Tomita finished 4th. In an interview, Tomita said that did not give up until the end as he had been given the opportunity to compete in the event by taking the place of teammate Koki Sakamoto, who had a better score than he did in the qualifying.
Tomita qualified for the men's high bar event finals and finished sixth.
, Spain
, where the only event championships were contested with no all-around competition. Tomita competed in both the parallel bars and high bar competition. Tomita was 6th at the Parallel Bars because of some visible mistakes. In his final competition in the high bar, Tomita performed with his signature skills and elegance, the only obvious error he committed was when he touched his hand to the mat after his dismount. Nevertheless, he capped this final competition with a bronze medal.
and Yosuke Hoshi. Aside from coaching, he will also be Assistant Professor of Health and Sports Science at Juntendo University. In February 2009, Tomita received official certification allowing him to judge gymnastic competitions.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese gymnast
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
. Tomita has three Olympic medals from the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
Early life
Tomita began gymnasticsGymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
at the age of eight with his mother getting him started into the sport. He attended Rakunan High School and began competing in the All-Japan Highschool Games in 1996. In this first competition, he ranked 10th in the all-around. The next year saw a rise in Tomita's competition results with a 1st in the all-around. He participated in the 1997 All-Japan Junior Championships with a 9th in the all-around. Tomita continued to dominate the All-Japan HIghschool Games, winning 1st in the all-around in 1998, and placing 1st in the events such as the high bar
Horizontal bar
The high bar, also known as the horizontal bar, is an apparatus used by male gymnasts in Artistic Gymnastics. It traditionally consists of a cylindrical metal bar that is rigidly held above and parallel to the floor by a system of cables and stiff vertical supports. Gymnasts typically wear leather...
(which would later become his signature event), the parallel bars (where he would later win an Olympic medal), and the pommel horse
Pommel horse
The pommel horse is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. Traditionally, it is used by only male gymnasts. Originally made of a metal frame with a wooden body and a leather cover, modern pommel horses have a metal body covered with foam rubber and leather, with plastic handles .- History :The pommel...
. After graduating from Ronan High School, he attended Juntendo University.
Gymnastics career
Tomita made his debut in world championships competition at the 2002 World Championships. On this competition, he placed 4th in the event finals of still ringsRings (gymnastics)
The rings, also known as still rings , is an artistic gymnastics apparatus and the event that uses it. It is traditionally used only by male gymnasts, due to its extreme upper-body strength requirements...
. The following year, he was a member of the Japanese men's team which won a bronze in the 2003 World Championships. He also won the bronze medal in the men's all-around in the same competition, establishing himself as one of Japan's top male gymnasts, with his star teammate, Naoya Tsukahara, ranking only 7th in the all-around.
Due to his beautiful, elegant, clean, and crisp gymnastics style, Tomita received the "Longines Prize for Elegance" on September 7, 2007 in Stuttgart, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, along with Shawn Johnson
Shawn Johnson
Shawn Machel Johnson is an American artistic gymnast. She was the 2008 Olympic balance beam gold medalist and all-around, and floor exercise silver medalist, the 2007 all-around World Champion, and the 2007 and 2008 U.S. all-around champion...
. The prize is given in recognition of athletes who demonstrate remarkable elegance in the course of an international competition at world level; the decision was unanimous. In addition to the trophy, designed by the Swiss artist Piero Travaglini, recipients also receive a wristwatch from the Longines Evidenza collection and a check for US$5,000.
2004 Olympics
In his first Olympics, Tomita led the men's team in an upset when the Japanese team captured the Olympic title for the first time since 1976, winning over the highly favored Chinese men's team. Tomita ranked 6th in the all-around. Tomita qualified for the event finals in parallel bars, rings, and pommel horse. He won a silver in the parallel bars.Success in Post 2004-Olympics World Championships
The next year, in the 2005 World Championships in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Tomita established himself as the top gymnast in the world by claiming the all-around title. Tomita's win made him the first Japanese gymnast in 31 years to win the men's World Championship. Tomita went into the final rotation more than one point ahead and finished on the high bar routine, with a total of 56.698 points. Tomita's teammate, Hisashi Mizutori
Hisashi Mizutori
, is a Japanese gymnast. He was part of the Japanese team that won the gold medal in the team competition at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was also part of the team to win the silver medal in the team event at the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships...
, claimed the men's all-around silver medal, establishing Japan as a serious men's gymnastics power.
In the 2006 World Championships, Tomita missed a full-twisting Kovacs
Kovacs
Kovacs or Kovács, or in its Slavic variant spelling Kovač, is a common family name. Kovács means smith in the Hungarian language; the word came from Slavonic Kovač, and has the same meaing in some Slavic languages.The name translates to the English name Smith...
on high bar in the team competition. The Japanese men's team wound up third. In the all-around competition, Tomita was ranked third after five apparatus events. His last event was the high bar where he fell in the team competition. Tomita gave an inspired performance and won the silver, behind Chinese gymnast, Yang Wei
Yang Wei (gymnast)
Yang Wei is a male gymnast from China.-Career:Yang Wei won the silver medal in the individual all-around competition and won the gold in the team event at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney....
. He also won a silver on parallel bars, with the Japanese team winning the bronze team medal.
In the 2007 World Championships, the men's teams of Japan and China established a rivalry for the top men's team spot that would find China at the top and Japan with the silver team medal. Tomita did not fare well in the all-around competition, placing 12th, with teammate Hisashi Mizutori claiming the all-around bronze. Tomita qualified for the event finals in the high bar, rings and pommel horse, but did not win a medal in these events.
2008 Olympics
The top two spot of China and Japan was contested in this Olympics with Japan as the reigning Olympic men's team gold medalist, and with Tomita as the most senior men's team member, and leader. China's men's team won the gold medal with a team total of 286.125, over seven points more than Japan's total of 278.875, which was only good enough for the silver medal.Based on the preliminary rounds of the competition, Tomita finished sixth in the all-around qualifier. Kōhei Uchimura
Kohei Uchimura
Kōhei Uchimura is a Japanese artistic gymnast. He is a two-time Olympic silver medalist and a nine-time World medalist . He is famous for winning three consecutive world all around titles and for delivering difficult and accurately executed routines...
and Koki Sakamoto
Koki Sakamoto
is a Japanese gymnast. He was a member of the 2008 Olympic team that won the silver medal. He was the 2nd best Japanese gymnast in the qualifying round and 5th overall but was replaced in the all around final by Hiroyuki Tomita....
finished ahead of him, ranking fourth and fifth respectively. Tomita fell on vault in the qualifier, thus finishing .050 behind his teammate, Koki Sakamoto. The top 24 gymnasts based on the preliminary results would qualify to compete in the all-around, because of the rule that only the top two qualifiers of each country would advance to the all-around competition, it appeared that Tomita would not continue to the all-around finals, with his teammates Uchimura and Sakamoto competing instead. However, Japanese head coach, Koji Gushiken, announced that Tomita would replace Sakamoto and compete in the all-around, due to his experience.
In the all-around competition, Tomita was in medal contention until on his third event, still rings, an accident caused him to crash on the mat from the rings. Tomita was shown to be in pain after his fall and was later observed to be applying an ice pack to his neck. Apparently, the accident caused Tomita to injure his neck, shoulder and lower back. Tomita however continued with the competition and performed well in the last three events lined up. In the end, French gymnast Benoît Caranobe
Benoît Caranobe
Benoît Caranobe is a French gymnast who won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Caranobe was the first Frenchman to medal in the Individual All-Around competition since Marco Torrès won silver and Jean Gounot won bronze in said event at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics.- 2004 Athens Olympics :In...
edged out Tomita for an all-around bronze by 0.175. Tomita finished 4th. In an interview, Tomita said that did not give up until the end as he had been given the opportunity to compete in the event by taking the place of teammate Koki Sakamoto, who had a better score than he did in the qualifying.
Tomita qualified for the men's high bar event finals and finished sixth.
Retirement and Final Competition
In a press conference on November 10, 2008, Tomita announced his retirement from the sport. Tomita cited the decline of his strength and the inability to continue performing gymnastics at a high level as the reason for his retirement. Tomita's final competition as an elite gymnast was in the World Cup Final in MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, where the only event championships were contested with no all-around competition. Tomita competed in both the parallel bars and high bar competition. Tomita was 6th at the Parallel Bars because of some visible mistakes. In his final competition in the high bar, Tomita performed with his signature skills and elegance, the only obvious error he committed was when he touched his hand to the mat after his dismount. Nevertheless, he capped this final competition with a bronze medal.
Coaching career
It was announced that Tomita Hiroyuki will start his coaching career in the spring of 2009. He will be the head coach at Juntendo University, which is known for its strong Gymnastic Team. He will work with gymnasts like Koki SakamotoKoki Sakamoto
is a Japanese gymnast. He was a member of the 2008 Olympic team that won the silver medal. He was the 2nd best Japanese gymnast in the qualifying round and 5th overall but was replaced in the all around final by Hiroyuki Tomita....
and Yosuke Hoshi. Aside from coaching, he will also be Assistant Professor of Health and Sports Science at Juntendo University. In February 2009, Tomita received official certification allowing him to judge gymnastic competitions.