Name: Kohei Uchimura
Name in Japanese: 内æ‘航平
Born: January 3, 1989
Born in: Nagasaki, Japan
Event: MAG (Men’s Artistic Gymnastics)
Country Represented: Japan
Father: Kazuhisa was a competitive gymnast
Began Gymnastics: Age 3 in Nagasaki at his parents’ gymnastics club
Sister: Haruhi Uchimura is also a gymnast and is ranked 14th in Japan
Gym: Nippon Sport Science University, coached by 1992 and 1996 Olympian Yoshiaki Hatakeda
Coach: Naoya Tsukahara (an Athens Olympic Gold medalist), son of Mitsuo Tsukahara
Mother: Shuko Uchimura
First International Competition: 2005 International Junior Competition in Japan
Best Known For: First gymnast ever to win three consecutive All-Around Gymnastics World Championships – 2009, 2010 and 2011
Also Known For: Doing tremendously difficult routines, consistent, incredible form and graceful execution
Height: 5’3″
Weight: 119 lbs.
Hobby: Collects watches
Some of His Exceptional Skills:
Triple-twisting Yurchenko
Triple-twisting double tuck on FX.
Trained a quad-twisting double tuck on FX.
Kohei Uchimura – Unique Combinations and Skills
内æ‘航平Kohei Uchimura – The Life and Times of a Champion
Rare footage of Kohei Uchimura growing up in gymnastics
Kohei Uchimura Triple Twisting Double Layout High Bar Dismount
Kohei Uchimura – Evolution in Men’s Gymnastics
Kohei Uchimura’s Gymnastics Career
2011
2011 Tokyo World Gymnastics Championships – Uchimura won All-Around title for the 3rd consecutive year with a score of 93.631 points and by a margin of 3.101 points while battling a leg injury.
He is the 1st male gymnast to win three all-around titles and the first gymnast, male or female, to win 3 consecutive All-Around championships. Uchimura scored the highest score on 4 of 6 events – floor exercise, still rings, parallel bars, and pommel horse.
Uchimura qualified for five of the six individual apparatus finals (all except vault). He won his first world championship event gold medal on floor exercise as well as a bronze medal on high bar and the silver medal with the Japanese team.
2011 Worlds, Uchimura also won the Longines Prize for Elegance given to gymnasts who demonstrate remarkable elegance.
2011 – 65th Japanese National Championships – Uchimura won gold medals in the All-Around title, pommel horse, high bar and floor exercise.
2011 – Qualified for his 2nd Olympics
2010
2010 – 2010 Rotterdam World Championships – Won 1st All-Around by a margin of 2.251 points in spite of a shoulder imjury. Also won 1st on FX and Vault. Japanese team won 2nd place team. Won 2nd on FX and 3rd on P-Bars.
2009
2009 – 2009 London World Championships – Won All-Around by a margin of 2.575 points. Also won FX, Still Rings, high bar and Vault.
2009 – Appeared on the cover of International Gymnastics Magazine in December 2009 with the caption “Uchimura Rules.”
2008
2008 Beijing Olympic Games – At the Olympics, helped win 2nd Team silver competing on Vault, FX, P-Bars and High Bar. Won the 2nd All-Around in spite of two falls on Pommel Horse, giving Japan its 1st Olympic medal in the event in 24 years.
2008 Tianjing World Cup – 1st FX
2008 Japanese National Championships – won his 1st National All-Around championship and 1st on FX and Pommel Horse.
2007
2007 – Qualified to Japanese National Team
2007 Paris World Cup – His 1st major international competition. Won 3rd on Vault
2007 Bangkok Summer Universiade – 1st Team and 1st on FX, 3rd on Vault
2007 Japanese National Championships – 7th in All=Around.
2007 International “Good Luck Beijing” Competition – 2nd Team and 7th FX
Kohei Uchimura Floor Exercise Video
2011 Tokyo World Championships FX Event Finals
Kohei Uchimura Pommel Horse Video
2011 Tokyo World Championships – Pommel Horse during AA Competition
Kohei Uchimura Still Rings Video
2011 Tokyo World Championships – Rings during AA Competition
Kohei Uchimura Vault Video
Kohei Uchimura Perfect Yurchenko 2.5 Vault – Japan Cup 2010
Kohei Uchimura P-Bars Video
2011 Tokyo World Championships
Kohei Uchimura High Bar Video
2011 Tokyo World Championships – High Bar during AA Competition
Kohei Uchimura Articles
International Gymnast article: The Kohei Uchimura Story
New Straits Times article – Uchimura Seeks to Become the Ultimate Star
London 2012: Kohei Uchimura Can Bring Perfection Back to Gymnastics
New York Times Article – The Near Perfection of Kohei Uchimura
Golden Opportunity: Kohei Uchimura
Kohei Uchimura Photos
New York Times Kohei Uchimura Slideshow
Kohei Uchimura Tumblr Photos
Kohei Uchimura Google Images
