On November 1st, the women's group final of the World Gymnastics Championships held in England was held, and Japan finished 7th, failing to secure a slot for the Paris Olympics at this tournament.

The world gymnastics championship held in Liverpool, England, was held on the fourth day of the tournament, the final of the women's group.



In the group, three people from each team perform in four events and are competed for the total score.



After finishing fifth in the qualifying rounds, Japan entered the final with Shoko Miyata, Kokoro Fukasawa, Ayaka Sakaguchi, Chiharu Yamada, and Hazuki Watabe all making their first appearances.



In Japan, the first event, the balance beam, all three performed without any major mistakes, and in the second event, 18-year-old Miyata opened the floor with an H-difficulty big move, stretching twice and performing a somersault. He scored 13.700, higher than the qualifying round, including the twisted "Chusovichina."



In the third event, the vault, Miyata scored a high score of 14.400 with a powerful performance that made the most of her leg strength.



Japan finished 3rd place after 3 events, but Fukasawa, the 3rd player, fell on the uneven bars at the end.



As a result, Japan did not qualify for the Paris Olympics at this tournament.



The first place was the United States, which won six consecutive victories for the first time in history.

In addition, the 2nd place was the local UK, and the 3rd place was Canada.

Captain Fukasawa: "It's frustrating that I couldn't fulfill my role."

Captain Kokoro Fukasawa commented, "I was able to have a good experience amidst the loud cheers, but I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to fulfill my role. This past year, I hope to secure a place in the Paris Olympics at next year's World Championships. I want to keep practicing and do my best," he said.

Miyata: “It was a good experience.”

Miyata Shoko, who showed a stable performance in the third event, said, "Because the balance beam and Yuka were the third performers, the previous two performed well and I was able to enjoy the performance. It was a good experience because I was able to create an atmosphere and enjoyment that only this member can create," she said with a smile.



On top of that, she enthusiastically said, "I'm the type of person who can enjoy the loud cheers, so I want to enjoy it until the end."

A new lineup for the generational change The new Japan national team takes a big step

Japan's gymnastics women's national team has undergone a change in generations and the lineup has changed.



It was the first time for all 5 members to face the big stage of the world, and they got a big harvest for the Paris Olympics.



The Japanese national team has undergone a rapid change of generations with the retirement of players who have led the Japanese national team for many years, such as Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Maya Murakami and Asuka Teramoto.



In order to make up for the lack of experience, we have held four training camps since June after the representative was decided, and have held meetings repeatedly so that we can have an image of an international tournament.



Furthermore, with the goal of advancing to the finals of the group, we held three trials with the aim of scoring 160 points, aiming to improve the "E score" that indicates the performance of the technique.



However, just before the tournament, Arisa Kasahara, who won the All Japan Championship this year, withdrew from the national team due to an injury during practice.



I was forced to change the composition of the team.



The core of the team is 18-year-old Shoko Miyata, a third-year high school student who is the youngest of the team.



Prior to the tournament, Miyata said, "I've practiced with an awareness of Yuka's expressiveness. I want to cheer myself up with a smile, with the awareness that I'll be the one who leads the team so that I can become a trusted ace." With his explosive performance, he led the team by scoring the highest points among Japanese athletes in three events.



While each country made mistakes, Japan did not make any major mistakes, scoring a score of 162.564, which surpassed the score in the competition, and placed 5th in the preliminary rounds.



Although they were unable to secure a quota for the Paris Olympics at this tournament, the new Japan national team has taken a big step forward.