Kohei Uchimura
Encyclopedia
Kōhei Uchimura is a Japan
ese artistic gymnast
. He is a two-time Olympic silver medalist (all around and team) and a nine-time World medalist (all around, team, floor, high bar, and parallel bars). He is famous for winning three consecutive world all around titles (2009, 2010 and 2011) and for delivering difficult and accurately executed routines. His gymnastics skills were praised by the International Gymnast Magazine as a "combination of tremendous difficulty, supreme consistency and extraordinary elegance of performance".
at his parents' sports club. He trained with Athens gold medalist Naoya Tsukahara
. At the age of 15 he moved to Tokyo
to train for gymnastics. His sister Haruhi Uchimura is also a gymnast and is ranked 14th in Japan. His first international competition was the 2005 International Junior Competition in Japan, where he competed outside the official competition.
Later that summer, he was selected to represent Japan at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing
as a member of the national team. At the Olympics, he contributed to the team silver by competing on floor, vault, parallel bars, and high bar. He qualified for the all-around final
, where he won the silver medal despite two falls on pommel horse. His 2nd place win behind China's Yang Wei
gave Japan its first Olympic medal in the event in 24 years. He obtained the highest mark of that meet on the floor 15.825 (double Arabian piked half out, triple twist dismount) and had a spectacular high bar routine (Kolman, layout Kovacs). He also qualified through to the floor final, where he placed fifth.
At the Japanese national championships that year, 19-year-old Uchimura racked up the highest scores on floor exercise and pommel horse en route to winning his first national all around title. He was the first teenager in 12 years to win the Japanese men's national title.International Gymnast Magazine Uchimura wins Japanese title, Ayako Murao, November 2008
. Here, he dominated both the qualifications and the all around final. He won the all around title by a margin of 2.575 points ahead of Daniel Keatings
, marking top scores for floor
, rings
, vault
, and horizontal bar. Uchimura also placed fourth on floor and sixth on high bar. He appeared on the cover of the December 2009 number of the International Gymnastics Magazine which was entitled "Uchimura rules".
again as a member of the Japan
ese national team. As in the previous year, he dominated the qualifications and the all around final, winning his second consecutive all around title by a margin of 2.251 points ahead of Philipp Boy
. During the all around final he had the highest score of the day on floor and the highest execution mark (9.666) for a Yurchenko 2 twists on vault. He also contributed to Japan's team silver medal by competing the team final on all events except still rings
. He qualified for two event finals, winning silver on floor and bronze on parallel bars.
in Tokyo, Japan. With a score of 93.631 points, Uchimura won by a margin of 3.101 points, roughly the same margin that separated 2nd and 14th place. Not only is he the first male gymnast to win three all-around titles, but he is also the first gymnast - male or female - to win three consecutive all-around titles. During the all around final, Uchimura recorded the highest score on four of the six events - floor exercise, still rings, parallel bars, and pommel horse (he tied for the highest score on pommel horse). Uchimura also qualified for five of the six individual apparatus finals (all except vault). He won his first world championship event gold medal on floor exercise as well as a bronze medal on high bar and the silver medal with the Japanese team.
At the 2011 Worlds
, Uchimura also won the Longines Prize for Elegance along with Romania's Ana Porgras
. The prize is given at each world championships to the male and female gymnasts who demonstrate "the most remarkable elegance". Unanimously declared the winners by a panel of judges, Uchimura and Porgras were each awarded a trophy, Longines
watch, and $5000USD. Uchimura was especially pleased to win this award, since he collects watches.
In November 2011, Uchimura won 4 gold medals at the 65th Japanese Championships. Besides the all-around title, he also picked up titles on half of the apparatuses: floor exercise, pommel horse, and high bar.
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 artistic 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...
. He is a two-time Olympic silver medalist (all around and team) and a nine-time World medalist (all around, team, floor, high bar, and parallel bars). He is famous for winning three consecutive world all around titles (2009, 2010 and 2011) and for delivering difficult and accurately executed routines. His gymnastics skills were praised by the International Gymnast Magazine as a "combination of tremendous difficulty, supreme consistency and extraordinary elegance of performance".
Early life and career
He began gymnastics at age 3, at home in Nagasaki PrefectureNagasaki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. The capital is the city of Nagasaki.- History :Nagasaki Prefecture was created by merging of the western half of the former province of Hizen with the island provinces of Tsushima and Iki...
at his parents' sports club. He trained with Athens gold medalist Naoya Tsukahara
Naoya Tsukahara
Naoya Tsukahara is a Japanese artistic gymnast and Olympic Gold Medalist. He is the son of the former Japanese gymnast, Mitsuo Tsukahara, who was also a multi Gold Medalist in Olympic Games...
. At the age of 15 he moved to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
to train for gymnastics. His sister Haruhi Uchimura is also a gymnast and is ranked 14th in Japan. His first international competition was the 2005 International Junior Competition in Japan, where he competed outside the official competition.
2007
Uchimura joined Japan's National Team in 2007. He made his senior debut at the 2007 Paris World Cup in March, a major international event. Here he won bronze on vault and placed ninth on floor. At Japan's national championships in October, he placed 7th in the all around. A month later, at the international "Good Luck Beijing" event, he won silver with the Japanese team and placed 7th on floor exercise. Gymnastics Results Good Luck Beijing, Beijing 20072008 and the Beijing Olympic Games
Uchimura started the 2008 season by winning gold on floor at the World Cup in Tianjing in May.Later that summer, he was selected to represent Japan at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
as a member of the national team. At the Olympics, he contributed to the team silver by competing on floor, vault, parallel bars, and high bar. He qualified for the all-around final
Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's artistic individual all-around
Men's artistic individual all-around competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held at the Beijing National Indoor Stadium on August 14.For each competitor in the men's qualification, the scores for all six apparatus were summed to give an all-around qualification score...
, where he won the silver medal despite two falls on pommel horse. His 2nd place win behind China's Yang Wei
Yang Wei
Yang Wei is the name of:*Yang Wei , Chinese badminton player*Yang Wei , Chinese gymnast*Yang Wei , Chinese aircraft designer...
gave Japan its first Olympic medal in the event in 24 years. He obtained the highest mark of that meet on the floor 15.825 (double Arabian piked half out, triple twist dismount) and had a spectacular high bar routine (Kolman, layout Kovacs). He also qualified through to the floor final, where he placed fifth.
At the Japanese national championships that year, 19-year-old Uchimura racked up the highest scores on floor exercise and pommel horse en route to winning his first national all around title. He was the first teenager in 12 years to win the Japanese men's national title.International Gymnast Magazine Uchimura wins Japanese title, Ayako Murao, November 2008
2009
In October 2009 Uchimura competed at the 2009 World Championships2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 41st World Artistic Gymnastics Championships was held at The O2 arena in London, United Kingdom, on 12 October to 18 October 2009. Similar to the World Championships in 2005, there were no team competitions...
. Here, he dominated both the qualifications and the all around final. He won the all around title by a margin of 2.575 points ahead of Daniel Keatings
Daniel Keatings
Daniel Ryan Keatings is a British artistic gymnast. He trains at the Huntingdon Olympic Gymnastics Club under coach, Paul Hall alongside teammate Louis Smith....
, marking top scores for floor
Floor (gymnastics)
In gymnastics, the floor refers to a specially prepared exercise surface, which is considered an apparatus. It is used by both male and female gymnasts. The event in gymnastics performed on floor is called floor exercise. The English abbreviation for the event in gymnastics scoring is FX.A spring...
, rings
Rings (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...
, vault
Vault (gymnastics)
The vault is an artistic gymnastics apparatus, as well as the skill performed using that apparatus. Vaulting is also the action of performing a vault. Both male and female gymnasts perform the vault...
, and horizontal bar. Uchimura also placed fourth on floor and sixth on high bar. He appeared on the cover of the December 2009 number of the International Gymnastics Magazine which was entitled "Uchimura rules".
2010
In October 2010 Uchimura headed to the 2010 World Championships2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships was held at the Ahoy Rotterdam indoor sporting arena in the Netherlands from 16 to 24 October 2010. In this year's championships, there was a total of 73 participating federations with 615 gymnasts...
again as a member of the Japan
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 national team. As in the previous year, he dominated the qualifications and the all around final, winning his second consecutive all around title by a margin of 2.251 points ahead of Philipp Boy
Philipp Boy
Philipp Boy is a German gymnast.He Helped German's Team Placed Third Behind China and Japan,Placed Second Behind Kōhei Uchimura In Men's All-Around and Fourth at the horizontal bar, at the 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.-References:*-External links:...
. During the all around final he had the highest score of the day on floor and the highest execution mark (9.666) for a Yurchenko 2 twists on vault. He also contributed to Japan's team silver medal by competing the team final on all events except still rings
Rings (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...
. He qualified for two event finals, winning silver on floor and bronze on parallel bars.
2011
On October 14, 2011 Uchimura won the all-around final for the 3rd time at the 2011 World Championships2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held in Tokyo, Japan, from October 7–16, 2011 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.Due to uncertainty over the nuclear situation following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the International Federation of Gymnastics revealed it was...
in Tokyo, Japan. With a score of 93.631 points, Uchimura won by a margin of 3.101 points, roughly the same margin that separated 2nd and 14th place. Not only is he the first male gymnast to win three all-around titles, but he is also the first gymnast - male or female - to win three consecutive all-around titles. During the all around final, Uchimura recorded the highest score on four of the six events - floor exercise, still rings, parallel bars, and pommel horse (he tied for the highest score on pommel horse). Uchimura also qualified for five of the six individual apparatus finals (all except vault). He won his first world championship event gold medal on floor exercise as well as a bronze medal on high bar and the silver medal with the Japanese team.
At the 2011 Worlds
2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held in Tokyo, Japan, from October 7–16, 2011 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.Due to uncertainty over the nuclear situation following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the International Federation of Gymnastics revealed it was...
, Uchimura also won the Longines Prize for Elegance along with Romania's Ana Porgras
Ana Porgras
Ana Porgras is a Romanian artistic gymnast. She won the uneven bars bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships and the balance beam gold medal at the 2010 World Championships in Rotterdam. Porgras is considered to be one of the most artistic gymnasts of her generation, reminiscent of the Eastern...
. The prize is given at each world championships to the male and female gymnasts who demonstrate "the most remarkable elegance". Unanimously declared the winners by a panel of judges, Uchimura and Porgras were each awarded a trophy, Longines
Longines
Longines is a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. The company was originally founded by Auguste Agassiz in 1832 and it currently holds the oldest registered logo for a watch company . Longines is currently owned by the Swatch Group.Longines is known for its 'Aviators' watches...
watch, and $5000USD. Uchimura was especially pleased to win this award, since he collects watches.
In November 2011, Uchimura won 4 gold medals at the 65th Japanese Championships. Besides the all-around title, he also picked up titles on half of the apparatuses: floor exercise, pommel horse, and high bar.