Japanese Team via Stuttgart to Athens

Kashima: Double World Champion 2003

Japanese are aiming for a team medal...

The Japanese men s team arrived in the Olympic City and started its pre-Olympic training. It had been for almost a week in Stuttgart s Artistic-Gymnastics-Forum in order to prepare for the Olympic Games.
After winning the bronze medal at the World Championships 2003 in Anaheim the men around president Mitsuo Tsukahara and double World Champion of the previous year, Takehiro Kashima, are aiming for even more in Athens...

gymnastics legend Tsukahara on a stamp

'Gold with team and a fourth rank for son Naoya...', that is the secret wish of father Mitsuo Tsukahara. As both president of the Japanese gymnastics federation as well as coach he was in charge of the squad in the Olympia camp in Stuttgart on its way to the Olympic city .
The great successes of Japan s men s gymnastics took place some years ago, and this legend of gymnastics Mitsuo Tsukahara founded the revolutionary gymnastics with his 'moon somersault', and between Mexiko-City 1968 and Montreal 1976 he contributed to these successes in a terrific way: He won 5 gold, one silver and 3 Olympic bronce medals .
Now, Japan s gymnastic aces worked their way back to the top. And as bronze medalists of the past WCh they rightly express Olympic ambitions - as well as World Champion China and USA being second at these WCh.

Naoya Tsukahara: Bad luck with falls in Sydney 2000...

With the double World Champion Takehiro Kashima (pommel horse, high bar), with son Naoya Tsukahara - who will perform at Olympics for the third time and lately suffered falls in Sydney, or with the all-arounder Hiroyuki Tomita they have indeed an excellent chance and everything less than a medal would be considered as a disappoinment for the men from Far East; after the mentioned successes the interest of the media in gymnastics increased enourmously at home due to the medal hopes.

The team was shocked to learn about the tragic accident of the German Ronny Ziesmer, who had trained for the Olympics. President Tsukahara spontanously transfered a donation of the Japanese gymnastics federation to the donation account of the German gymnastics federation DTB and German Sports support.
- gymmedia - br>
Translation: Florian Schmid-Sorg