Women's All-Around Final
(Friday, August 22, 2003)

Ayaka Sahara was the only gymnast of the Japanese team who qualified into the all-around final.

Sahara started the day from floor. She hit everything until her dismount, including solid piked full-in, and powerful whip to immediate triple twist, whichi was seemingly with the best execution of all, but she put her hands down in her dismount (double pike). It was not a typical mistake for her. She might have been tight.

Afterward, she hit every routine. She stuck piked barani on vault, and had no fall on uneven bars and beam.  She used a triple twisting back sommie on every event except for vault

Due to her low start value on every event, she finished 23rd, just ahead of the lowest-ranked Hypolito of Brazil, who hurt her leg on floor and quit the rest of the competition. However, her solidity (except for her dismount on floor exercise) was very good.

Mens's Apparatus Finals
(Saturday, August 23, 2003 for FX, PH, SR & Sunday, August 24, 2003 for VT, PB, HB)

Pommel Horse

Kashima went all out in the event finals, including E-combined sequence. He usually does only a 180 Russian after his Stockli B combination, however, in the final, he performed a 360 Russian and it made an E-combined sequence. He hit everything then, and  scored 9.762, tying the leadoff, Teng Haiin of China.  Because his rivals, Urzica of Romania and Xiao Qin of China, who had beat Kashima in the last World Championships, missed in the final, Kashima won a gold medal with Teng.  This gold medal was the first one on pommel horse in Japanese gymnastics history, and was Japan's first gold medal since 1983 (Koji Gushiken won on the rings in the  '83 World Championships). Not only we but also the Japanese people who heard this news on TV or the newspapers were very excited.

Rings

Yamada performed very well in the final.  He had excellent expression on his strength elements and a stuck landing. However, he could score only 9.687, missing a medal by 0.013.  The crowd booed, and we were disappointed at that score, but he showed everything he could in his routine. 

Parallel Bars

After the very good score from two Chinese gymnasts, Huang Xu and Li Xiaopeng, Tsukahara needed a perfect routine to beat or catch up with them.  However, he was short of a handstand after peach half, and he hopped on his dismount.  Therefore, He scored only 9.675 and placed fourth, missing a medal.

Horizontal Bar

Kashima had very beautiful body line throughout his routine, and hit everything.  His Kovacs had gorgeous execution, and he stuck his laid out double-double dismount.  He scored 9.775! He had to wait for the other good contenders, but Nemov of Russia had a big step forward on his landing, and Cassina of Italia had a little form break in his tremendous flight elements (Layout Kovacs, Layout Kolman(Cassina), Kolman), and they scored lower than Kashima. Thus, Kashima won his second gold medal in this  Worlds. This time... with no tie!

Japanese TV programs have invited Kashima to appear on TV. He is getting the publicity he deserves.  The Japanese people know who he is.  Our team had an excellent result at the World Championships. Now we await the coming Olympics in a hopeful atmosphere.  Best wishes for them!

Kashima wins two golds in the apparatus finals!!