Daiki Hashimoto
Daiki Hashimoto (橋本 大輝, born August 7, 2001) is a Japanese artistic gymnast renowned for his exceptional all-around performances and consistency across apparatuses, widely regarded as the successor to legendary compatriot Kohei Uchimura.[1][2] He has secured multiple Olympic and World Championship medals, including three consecutive all-around gold medals at the World Championships in 2022, 2023, and 2025, making him the second male gymnast after Uchimura to achieve this feat.[3][4] Hashimoto's breakthrough came at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where, at age 19 years and 355 days, he became the youngest male gymnast to win the individual all-around gold medal, alongside a gold on horizontal bar and a team silver.[1] At the 2024 Paris Olympics, he contributed to Japan's team gold while placing sixth in the all-around final.[1] His World Championship dominance includes a silver in the 2021 all-around, followed by golds in the 2023 team event and horizontal bar, as well as silvers on floor and horizontal bar in 2022, and another horizontal bar silver in 2025.[1][5] Born in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, Hashimoto began gymnastics at age six with the Sawara Junior Club and later trained under coach Hisashi Mizutori, idolizing Uchimura's precision and endurance.[1] Known for his "infinite stamina" and ability to perform high-difficulty routines under pressure, he has earned accolades such as the 2021 JOC Excellence Award and honorary citizenship awards from Narita and Inzai.[1] As of 2025, Hashimoto continues to compete at the elite level, representing Japan internationally and inspiring the next generation of gymnasts.[5]Early life
Introduction to gymnastics
Daiki Hashimoto was born on August 7, 2001, in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.[1] From a young age, he was influenced by his two older brothers, Takuya and Kengo, both of whom competed in artistic gymnastics at club and university levels, respectively.[1] This familial connection sparked Hashimoto's interest in the sport, leading him to begin training at the age of six at the Sawara Junior Gymnastics Club in Japan.[1] During his initial sessions at the club, Hashimoto's training emphasized foundational skills such as balance, coordination, and basic apparatus work, alongside developing physical endurance to support prolonged practice. Coaches quickly noticed his remarkable ability to maintain energy throughout extended workouts, earning him the nickname "Mr. Infinite Stamina."[6] This moniker highlighted his exceptional stamina, which allowed him to outlast peers in repetitive drills and conditioning exercises without fatigue, setting a strong base for his technical progression.[6] During his early years as a student, Hashimoto participated in local competitions, where the focus remained on enjoyment, skill refinement, and personal growth rather than achieving top placements.[7] These early events provided opportunities to apply basic routines in a competitive setting, fostering confidence and a love for gymnastics through positive experiences and incremental improvements.[7]Education and early training
Daiki Hashimoto attended Funabashi Municipal High School from 2017 to 2020, where he balanced rigorous academic studies with his burgeoning gymnastics career. The school's strong sporting tradition supported his development, allowing him to maintain scholastic performance while dedicating significant time to training.[8][9][10] In 2020, Hashimoto enrolled at Juntendo University in Inzai, Chiba, within the School of Health and Sports Science, graduating in 2023.[11][9] His coursework focused on sports science principles, which directly supported his training regimen by enhancing his understanding of physical conditioning, injury prevention, and performance optimization. This academic pursuit complemented his athletic commitments, enabling a holistic approach to his preparation as an elite gymnast.[11][9] Hashimoto's early senior training, beginning around 2016, emphasized all-around development with particular attention to horizontal bar techniques, building on his foundational skills honed since age six at the Sawara Junior Club. Under structured club guidance, he cultivated versatility across apparatus, leveraging his compact build for precision and power. Standing at 1.66 m, his height facilitated adaptations in training that optimized leverage and rotational dynamics, especially on events like the horizontal bar and parallel bars where explosive control is paramount.[1][9]Gymnastics career
2019–2020: International debut and Tokyo Olympics
In 2019, while still a high school student at Chukyo University Affiliated High School, Daiki Hashimoto was selected to Japan's senior national gymnastics team, becoming the first male high schooler to achieve this honor since 2014.[8] At just 17 years old, his selection followed strong performances in domestic competitions, including a second-place finish in the all-around at the National High School Athletic Competition earlier that year.[12] This marked his international debut and positioned him as a rising talent in a team dominated by veterans. Hashimoto's breakthrough came at the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, where he contributed to Japan's team bronze medal, the country's first major team medal in six years with a final score of 258.159.[1] Individually, he qualified for the pommel horse final and placed ninth with a score of 13.333, showcasing his potential despite a challenging routine.[1] On the horizontal bar, another of his strengths, he earned fourth place in the final with 14.233, narrowly missing a medal after a strong qualification score of 14.366.[1] These results highlighted his versatility and poise under pressure in his first senior world championships. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to 2021, prompting adjustments in Hashimoto's preparation schedule. In April 2021, he won the all-around title at the Japanese National Championships—held as the 2020 edition—with a score of 168.50, solidifying his selection for the home Olympics and demonstrating his growth into a complete gymnast.[13] At the Tokyo Games, Hashimoto led Japan to a silver medal in the team competition, scoring 262.397 in the final despite a narrow loss to the Russian Olympic Committee.[1] In the individual all-around final, he claimed gold with 88.465 points, becoming the youngest male Olympic all-around champion at 19 years and 355 days old, edging out China's Xiao Ruoteng by 0.400.[1] He capped his Olympic debut by winning the horizontal bar gold with 15.066, executing a flawless routine that included his signature overshoot to secure Japan's third consecutive title on the apparatus.[1]2021–2023: Post-Olympic competitions and world titles
Following his triumph at the Tokyo Olympics, Daiki Hashimoto quickly affirmed his position as Japan's preeminent male gymnast by capturing his first All-Japan Artistic Gymnastics Championships all-around title in April 2021 at Takasaki Arena in Gunma Prefecture. Overcoming a mid-competition stumble, he mounted a strong recovery to edge out the field, a performance that underscored his emergence as the successor to legendary compatriot Kohei Uchimura, who claimed the high bar gold at the same event.[14][1] Later that year, at the 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan, Hashimoto earned silver in the all-around with 87.964 points, finishing behind China's Zhang Boheng by 0.017. He also won silver on horizontal bar and bronze on parallel bars, contributing to Japan's team bronze.[1] Entering the 2022 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool, England, Hashimoto faced minor setbacks, including persistent wrist pain that necessitated adjustments to his training regimen for improved endurance and stability. Despite these challenges, he delivered a commanding performance in the all-around final on November 4, scoring 87.198 to secure gold ahead of China's Zhang Boheng, marking his first world all-around title. He also won silver medals on floor exercise and horizontal bar. Japan, bolstered by Hashimoto's contributions, earned team silver with a total of 253.395 points, finishing just behind China.[1][15][16][17][18][19] Hashimoto extended his dominance at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, where he defended his all-around crown on October 5 with a total score of 86.132, narrowly defeating Ukraine's Illia Kovtun by over a point. Anchoring the Japanese squad, he helped secure the team gold—their first since 2015—by holding off a late surge from China in the finals. Hashimoto capped the event with individual gold on horizontal bar on October 9, earning his first apparatus world title on that event and totaling three medals from the championships.[20][21][22][23]2024–2025: Paris Olympics and recent world championships
At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Daiki Hashimoto contributed to Japan's gold medal in the men's team event, helping secure the nation's first Olympic team title since 2016 despite early setbacks during the competition.[24] In the individual all-around final, Hashimoto finished sixth with a total score of 84.598, marking a departure from his previous dominance as execution errors on floor exercise and still rings hampered his performance under pressure.[25][26] Following the Olympics, Hashimoto focused on recovery and rebuilding, emphasizing mental resilience and technical refinement in training leading into 2025 qualifiers. He captured the all-around title at the 2025 All-Japan Championships, using the event to simulate high-stakes routines and address vulnerabilities exposed in Paris.[27] This preparation culminated at the 2025 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta, where Hashimoto won the men's all-around gold with a score of 85.131, edging out China's Zhang Boheng by 0.798 points. He also earned silver on horizontal bar.[5] Hashimoto's victory marked his third consecutive world all-around title, making him only the second male gymnast to achieve this feat after Kohei Uchimura, and underscoring his status as a leading figure in contemporary gymnastics.[3] Key to his success were clutch routines on parallel bars and horizontal bar in the final rotations, where he posted strong execution scores to overcome an early deficit and maintain consistency across apparatuses.[4] This triumph highlighted Hashimoto's ability to rebound from Olympic disappointment, solidifying his historical legacy with four world all-around medals by age 24.[1]Competitive history
Major international achievements
Daiki Hashimoto has secured numerous medals in major international competitions, including the Olympic Games and World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.[1]Olympic Games
| Year | Location | Event/Apparatus | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Tokyo | Team | Silver |
| 2020 | Tokyo | All-around | Gold |
| 2020 | Tokyo | Horizontal bar | Gold |
| 2024 | Paris | Team | Gold |
World Championships
| Year | Location | Event/Apparatus | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Stuttgart | Team | Bronze |
| 2021 | Kitakyushu | Team | Silver |
| 2021 | Kitakyushu | All-around | Silver |
| 2021 | Kitakyushu | Horizontal bar | Silver |
| 2022 | Liverpool | All-around | Gold |
| 2022 | Liverpool | Floor exercise | Silver |
| 2022 | Liverpool | Horizontal bar | Silver |
| 2022 | Liverpool | Team | Silver |
| 2023 | Antwerp | All-around | Gold |
| 2023 | Antwerp | Team | Gold |
| 2023 | Antwerp | Horizontal bar | Gold |
| 2025 | Jakarta | All-around | Gold |
| 2025 | Jakarta | Horizontal bar | Silver |