TOKYO (AP) — Kenzo Shirai wants to add a new twist to an evolving story, and help Japan regain the men’s gymnastics team title it once dominated at the Olympics.
“The Twist Prince,” as the 19-year-old Shirai is known in Japan, will be making his Olympic debut at Rio de Janeiro, where the Japanese are aiming to win their first Olympic team gold since 2004 in Athens.
Japan won five straight team golds beginning with the 1960 Rome Olympics but has been surpassed by China, which won three of the last four team golds including in London four years ago.