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The Chinese men's team won big at World Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2022 at the Liverpool arena in England. The grand event saw several gymnasts locking down their Olympic spots. After the US, UK, and Canada secured the women's Olympic berth, the three spots were filled with the men's team conclusion on Wednesday.
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China spearheaded the event to win its 12th World Artistic Gymnastics Championships by the most significant margin in 15 years. The team posted a total of 257.858 points, four points ahead of the arch-rival Japanese team, who finished with a score of 253.395. Meanwhile, hosts UK settled for bronze with a total score of 247.229 ahead of the Italians at 245.995.
The victory means that China, Japan, and the UK earned a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
China recovered from a disappointing qualifying round to win the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2022
The Chinese team, featuring former world all-around champion Zhang Boheng, Olympic medal winners Zou Jingyuan and Sun Wei, and star athletes You Hou, and Yang Jiaxing, had a disappointing qualifying round with a series of errors from their end. They eventually finished fourth after Japan, the UK, and the US.
However, the Asian powerhouses, who won silver at the event three years ago, maintained their composure by delivering an error-filled performance in the finals.
Zou Jingyuan built a solid lead after a flawless performance on the Vault and Rings. He was followed by 2021 world champion Zhang Boheng, who finished with a lead on the floor exercise routine. They maintained their lead throughout the other events to finish with gold. Zhang Boheng told the Olympic Channel that,
"We did so much better compared to the qualification. After one day of refreshing our minds and reflecting after the qualifiers, we got great momentum and rhythm today. On the first rotation we kind of struggled a little bit with nerves, especially we on pommel horse, which is difficult to control somehow."
Meanwhile, reigning Olympic champions Russia remain banned from the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships due to the ongoing conflict against Ukraine. This opened up a podium spot for other countries.
After finishing the qualifiers with the highest points, the Japanese team was a potential gold medal contender, but several mistakes cost them the gold. They finished in second place with 253.395 points, more than seven points less than those earned in the qualification round. Japanese athlete Doi Ryosuke said,
"We were nervous, it was our first exercise in the final. My body was a bit dodgy, and I made a mistake in the routine where I don’t usually make any. Something went wrong."
Despite the absence of their pommel horse champion Max Whitlock, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, the UK settled for bronze, beating Italy.
The United States finished third in the qualification round, seeking to break their medal drought at the championship. However, a series of errors on the pommel horse, high bar, and floor exercise cost them a medal as they finished fifth overall.
The World Artistic Gymnastics Championship continues with the men's and women's finals, followed by the apparatus finals scheduled over the last two days.
