Kohei Uchimura of Japan acts during the horizontal bar competition of men's individual all-around final at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug. 10, 2016. Kohei Uchimura won the gold medal with a score of 92.365. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)
RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Even he will be 31 in 2020, Japan's Kohei Uchimura does not want to miss the Tokyo Olympic Games.
"I want to be there," said the six-time all-around world champion, who defended his Olympic title at the Rio Games on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old Uchimura came from behind to win his second Olympic title in all-around, becoming the first man to achieve the back-to-back win in this event at the Olympics in 44 years.
Both Chinese finalists Deng Shudi and Lin Chaopan believed that the unbeatable all-around king had walked down from his peak, Uchimura didn't want to take a rest.
"My country is going to host the next Olympics. It's my duty. I want to be there," said Uchimura. "However, I would be 31. I would not be at my peak. What I think is, first of all, how I would be able to qualify? I would have to have a rest and give it a deep consideration."
"In the all-around I don't think I would be able to beat other people. I would have to select apparatus perhaps. But I want to take part. By that time my daughter would be old enough, so I hope I would be able to show her what her father can do."
The runner-up, Ukraine's Oleg Vernyayev said Uchimura was Michael Phelps in gymnastics, but the low-key Japanese believed that he was over flattered.
"I don't think I am well-known in the world. I hope that people in the world enjoyed watching us and watching gymnastics. Not my name, but gymnastics, which should be as swimming is with Phelps and athletics is with Usain Bolt."
