Hashimoto and Zhang set to go head-to-head in all-around final

Daiki Hashimoto and Zhang Boheng will resume their battle to be crowned the world’s best male gymnast as they go head-to-head in tonight’s all-around final in Liverpool. 

The two gymnasts have come to embody the storied battle between Japan and China at the top of men’s artistic gymnastics, with the latest chapter set to be written this evening. 

The pair finished one and two at last year’s World Championships, Zhang that time getting the better of Olympic champion Hashimoto. 

Hashimoto has been billed as the successor to legendary compatriot Kohei Uchimura, but knows he must win an all-around world gold to even be mentioned in the same breath. 

For Zhang, the opportunity to win back-to-back all-around golds beckons. He would join an elite group who have retained the title, consisting of Peter Sumi, Yang Wei and Uchimura, who won six consecutive titles between 2010 and 2015.

Yet if we have learned anything from this World Championships, it is unlikely to be that simple. 

While all eyes were on Hashimoto and Zhang, it was Wataru Tanigawa who qualified top of the pile with 84.731 marks. 

The 26-year-old has three team world medals to his name but an individual gong has so far eluded him and Tanigawa knows there are still fine details to improve. 

He said: “It wasn’t perfect. There are some small things to be fixed but there was no big mistake across the six apparatus, so that was good.” 

Hashimoto qualified second just 0.001 ahead of Carlos Yulo, with the Filipino whipping up a storm with stunning scores on parallel bars, vault, and floor that make him a real contender tonight. 

Hosts Great Britain are the only nation to have medalled on every night of the World Championships, and European all-around champion Joe Fraser will be looking to continue the hot streak. 

Fraser will compete alongside fellow Brit Jake Jarman after the pair helped pull of a miraculous comeback to clinch team bronze and will hope the raucous home crowd can roar them to glory again. 

It is a mouth-wateringly open final, with Americans Asher Hong and Brody Malone bidding to banish the demons of a disappointing team final with individual honours. 

Brazilian Rebeca Andrade took a scintillating gold in the women’s all-around on Thursday, and it will be up to Pan-American all-around champion Caio Souza and Diogo Soares to follow suit tonight. 

They’ll make up the second rotation, alongside Spain’s Joel Plata, Dutchman Casimir Schmidt, Jarman and Malone to comprise a group worth keeping an eye on. 

The World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022 will be one of the largest international sporting events ever to be held in the city. Over 500 gymnasts from more than 70 countries will compete at the M&S Bank Arena from 29 October to 6 November 2022. Tickets are available at www.2022worldgymnastics.com/tickets