Having missed the men's gymnastics team title by a hair at Tokyo 2020, Japan is determined to beat its biggest rival China to take gold in Paris, setting that as its top priority with one month left to go until the Games begin.
Three years ago, the Russians beat Japan by 0.103 points — a sliver of a number that etched itself into the minds of the three Japanese gymnasts and their head coach who will be returning to the Olympics looking to erase those painful memories.
"We had the bitter experience of losing by the narrowest of margins, of 0.103," all-around title holder Daiki Hashimoto said after a team training session in Tokyo last week.