Kōhei Uchimura : The Very Best Male Gymnast Ever

Konami Congratulates Japan Men's Gymnastics Team, October 2015
Konami Congratulates Japan Men’s Gymnastics Team, October 2015

The headquarters of sports fitness company, Konami Sports, is in the same building complex as my company, and I was happy to see the above poster featuring three members of the Japanese Men’s gymnastics team, who also happen to be Konami employees: Yusuke Tanaka, Koji Yamamuro and Kohei Uchimura (内村 航平, )who won gold in the World Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow on October 28, 2015.

Kōhei Uchimura
Kōhei Uchimura

There was a time from 1960 to 1978 when Japan’s men dominated, taking team gold in five straight Olympics, as well as five straight World Gymnastics Championships. They finally re-claimed Olympic gold in 2000 and 2004 but had not won in the World Championships since 1978…until Wednesday.

And this weekend, we find out if Uchimura, arguably the greatest men’s gymnast ever, will win gold in the men’s all around, again, as he has done since 2009. Since then he has won gold in London, Rotterdam, Tokyo, Antwerp and Nanning, including gold in the 2012 London Olympics. No one has ever come close in excellence and sustainability.

Can he make it six straight as the very best men’s gymnasts in the world?

Watch him in his floor exercise at the 2014 World Gymnastics Championships. Perfection.