Zhang Boheng of China competes in rings of the men's all-around final at the 51st FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Liverpool, Britain, Nov. 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)
Facing old rival Daiki Hashimoto again, China's star gymnast Zhang Boheng is aiming for the highest podium at the Chengdu Universiade.
CHENGDU, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's Zhang Boheng and Japan's Daiki Hashimoto, the two artistic gymnastics world champions will meet again in the men's all-around final at the Chengdu Universiade on Friday.
The 22-year-old Hashimoto, Tokyo Olympic champion of men's all-around, upset Zhang to claim his world all-round title at the 51st Artistic Gymnastics World Championships last year. Before that, Zhang beat Hashimoto by just 0.017 points to win the world title in 2021.
The contest between the two star gymnasts has attracted a lot of attention this time. Facing Hashimoto again, 23-year-old Zhang said he is looking forward to standing on the highest podium at home.
Daiki Hashimoto of Japan competes in the pommel horse of the artistic gymnastics men's all-around final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 28, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Lili)
"This is the first time in my life to participate in an international multi-sports meeting, which is also a good warm-up competition for Paris 2024," said Zhang, who is aiming at the men's team and individual all-around titles in Chengdu.
The Chinese men's team is full of stars, comprising Zhang, Zou Jingyuan, Su Weide, Lan Xingyu, and Shi Cong. Most of them had won titles from either the Olympics or the world championships. The Japanese men's team also has a great line-up led by Hashimoto. ■
