Olympics Gymnastics 2012: Kohei Uchimura Will Prove He's World's Best Gymnast

There are few athletes as heavily favored to win the gold medal as Japan's Kohei Uchimura. By most accounts he is the most dominant gymnast in the world.

Many top-notch gymnasts from around the world aspire to knock Uchimura off his pedestal in London 2012, but they will all fail.

Only injury could prevent Uchimura from snagging a gold medal in the men's all around, and he's a good bet to be the best in the floor exercise as well.

What makes Uchimura such a prohibitive favorite?

There are a few things, but most notably is the high level of difficulty in his routines. Uchimura pulls off routines that most other gymnasts wouldn't attempt, and most times he is flawless in his execution.

Take a look at him in action here:

His routines are so difficult they actually give him room for error, though he rarely has a slip-up. In 2008, he actually fell off the pommel horse twice and he still earned the silver medal.

He was only 19 years old then, but now at the age of 23 and with an unprecedented three World Championship gold medals under his belt, Uchimura is ready to capture the only honor he has yet to enjoy.

Winning Olympic gold will validate any argument that Uchimura is the best gymnast of his time, and possibly in the history of the sport.

Even if gymnastics isn't your favorite Olympic sport, I urge you to at least take a gander at Uchimura in London. It's rare to see an athlete that has nearly mastered his craft.

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