Kohei Uchimura Wins Eighth Consecutive Gold

Kohei Uchimura wins eighth consecutive gold at Rio Olympics. He defeated Oleg Verniaiev by 0.099 points.

What happened?

Kohei Uchimura proved his excellence in artistic gymnastics. He won every Olympic and world all-around title since 2008. He has 26 world and Olympic medals, including 13 golds.

Why it matters for Kohei Uchimura

Uchimura's victory margin was the narrowest of his eight all-around wins. This shows the increasing competition in artistic gymnastics. Max Whitlock praised Uchimura, saying it's hard to stay at the top for many years.

What comes next?

Uchimura wants to continue competing. Tokyo will host the next Olympics, and he aims to keep going. He has been compared to Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt. But Uchimura dismissed the comparison, saying he's not in the same league. Uchimura's mother, Shuko, fainted while watching his moment of triumph. He felt he had lost at one point. But he managed to win with a narrow margin. Oleg Verniaiev called Uchimura "the Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt of gymnastics". Verniaiev was happy to have made Uchimura nervous. Uchimura hopes gymnastics will be as famous as swimming and running. He owns 26 world and Olympic medals. Uchimura's gymnastics lifespan defies logic. He has dominated the sport for a long time.