The 2015 Summer Universiade Games kicked off last week with more than 12,000 student athletes competing across 21 sports before the close of the Games on the 14th in Gwangju, South Korea.

Japan secured a landslide victory in the men’s team event, having won with a team score of 266.000, a little more than 7.5 points ahead of the silver winning South Korean team. South Korea was able to edge out the Ukrainian men for silver with a 258.550, just tenth’s ahead of Ukraine’s 258.125. Unfortunately for South Korea, gymnastics star Yang Hak-Seon had to pull out of the team event and the rest of the Games due to a thigh injury – with doctors estimating it will take 3 weeks before he can resume training. Ukraine was widely expected to win silver but a poor series of performances on high bar would leave them with the bronze.

In the men’s all-around Ukraine’s Oleg Verniaiev, fresh off his win at the European Games, secured the gold with a huge total score of 92.075.

Verniaiev began with a very clean floor routine demonstrating high difficulty and execution. His back 2.5 twist to full was solid as was his front double twist to barani. He floated through his 1080 Russian wendeswing with great speed and ended with a stuck back triple for a 15.525 (6.7D/8.825E).

Tape: keeping the best gymnasts together since the dawn of the sport.

On the pommel horse Verniaiev had a great routine besides some hesitation on two of his handstands, garnering a 15.400 (6.9D/8.5E) and pushing him into first, a lead he would continue to expand.

Moving to the rings Verniaiev executed another solid routine. He demonstrated great control, particularly in his support scale at ring height to cross and during his swinging elements. He ended with a stuck tucked double double dismount which earned a 15.250 (6.5D/8.750E).

Furthering his more than a full point lead over second position Nonomura, Verniaiev vaulted his Dragulescu with great height but a bit too much power, resulting in him taking a huge hop forward and off to the right OOBs – scoring a 14.850 (6.0D/8.95E).

Living up to his title of World champion on the parallel bars Verniaiev delivered a stellar routine including a seamless Tippelt and stuck 1/2 twisting double front tuck dismount. Earning a 15.900 (6.9D/9.0E) Verniaiev had a nice cushion in case high bar went as it did during the team event.

Luckily it did not! Verniaiev showcased some crisp, fluid pirouetting on high bar and ended his night with just a step back on his double twisting double layout dismount. Earning a 15.150 (6.5D/8.650E) Verniaiev captured the gold with a massive total of 92.075.

It’s lonely at the top.

Japan’s Shogo Nonomura, who was a member of Japan’s 2014 World Championship team, captured the silver with an impressive showing for a total score of 89.275, using his clean execution and consistency to compensate for his lower difficulty.

Nonomura began with a technically sound floor routine including a 1080 Russian wendeswing, clean twisting form, and a stuck double side salto straddle. Ending with a stuck back triple he earned a 15.150 (6.1D/9.050E).

Onto the pommel horse, Nonomura moved from fourth to third position with a rather clean routine which demonstrated great extension and fluid movement for a 14.450 (5.9D/8.55E).

A strong showing on rings pushed Nonomura into second, a position he would hold for the remainder of the night. Nonomura struggled maintaining control on his support scale at ring height but was otherwise solid, ending with just a small hop on his full twisting double layout dismount – scoring a 15.025 (6.4D/8.625E).

Yep, he’s pleased with that score.

Hoping to cement his second position status, Nonomura vaulted a 1.5 twisting Kasamatsu with great twisting form and just a shuffle of his feet on the landing for a 14.750 (5.6D/9.15E).

Moving to the parallel bars, Nonomura retained his position with a solid performance, despite counting a number of hand adjustments and having a balance check on his one rail handstand. He had great height in his double back tuck flight element and ended with a hop forward on his double back pike dismount for a 14.900 (6.3D/8.6E).

Securing the silver Nonomura nailed his high bar routine, an event which he has struggled with in the past, and completed three releases: a stretched Tkatchev, straddled 1/2 twisting Tkatchev, and a Yamawaki. With just a wobble on his double twisting double layout dismount he garnered a 15.000 (6.0D/9.0E) for a grand total of 89.275.

Bronze would go to Akash Modi of the United States, the reigning NCAA all-around champion from Stanford University.

Modi’s bid for the podium began on floor where he executed an open arabian double pike with just a hop on the landing and great twisting with his back 2.5 twist to full and front double twist to barani. Just short of horizontal on his v-sit and a hop on his back triple twist would earn a 15.000 (6.5D/8.5E).

Modi would jump into second position after his pommel horse routine where he demonstrated great one pommeled circling but had a few hesitations in the handstands and some bent legs in the travelling elements, scoring a 14.650 (6.2D/8.45E).

It’s always a good day when you hit your pommels routine.

On rings Modi fell to third position, which he would maintain for the remainder of the night, competing solidly except for some issues in his straddled support scale and handstands. With just a hop back on his double double tuck dismount he garnered a 14.250 (5.7D/8.55E).

Like Nonomura, Modi vaulted a 1.5 twisting Kasamatsu with clean twisting form and with just a tiny hop forward on the landing he earned a 14.850 (5.6D/9.25E).

Heading to the parallel bars where he has set domestic collegiate records, Modi maintained third position despite some hesitation during the routine and a low landing on his full twisting double back tuck dismount – scoring a 14.800 (6.4D/8.4E).

Trying to fend off a resurging Naoto Hayasaka of Japan, Modi secured the bronze with a solid high bar routine. Complete with a stuck double twisting double layout dismount Modi earned a 14.750 (6.2D/8.55E) for a total of 88.300 and the bronze.

Just .275 away from the podium was Japan’s Naoto Hayasaka.

Hayasaka competed an incredibly difficult floor routine – opening with a huge back 2.5 twist to front double twist. He followed this up with a double side salto straddle, a back full to back double and a back triple twist to finish. He earned a 15.775 (7.0D/8.775E) and led after the first rotation.

Pommel horse would be Hayasaka’s undoing – counting a fall early in the routine and scoring a 12.900 (5.6D/7.3E) would leave him in seventh position.

On rings Hayasaka was unable to gain ground, struggling to hold his handstands and taking extra swings to generate the momentum for his tucked double double dismount. With a hop on the landing Hayasaka would move up to sixth with a score of 14.325 (5.9D/8.425E).

Like Nonomura and Modi, Hayasaka vaulted a 1.5 twisting Kasamatsu which was slightly under-rotated and had a step back on the landing, earning a 14.725 (5.6D/9.125E) and keeping him in sixth.

Hayasaka gained ground on the parallel bars where he demonstrated a great 5/4 forward straddled salto to bent arm support and a stuck double pike dismount. The 15.200 (6.2D/9.0E) would push him into fourth and within striking range of Modi.

Despite a solid showing on high bar with some great stoop circle pirouette elements and an airy double twisting double layout dismount to finish it would be just short of edging out Modi for bronze. His routine would garner a 15.100 (6.4D/8.7E) giving him a total of 88.025.

He may have missed the podium but he did get to sit with Oleg. So there is that.

Finishing behind the frontrunners was Donothan Bailey of the United States in fifth, Cen Yu of China in sixth, Park Minsoo of South Korea in seventh, and Ferhat Arican of Turkey in eighth.

Article by Esteban Rodriguez-Vazquez