World Gymnastics Championships 2015: Results and Reaction from Wednesday

Japan narrowly took the gold medal in the men's team final at the World Gymnastics Championships 2015 on Wednesday in Glasgow, Scotland, beating hosts Great Britain and defending champions China.

Kohei Uchimura and Company held the lead going into the final apparatus, but two Japanese athletes, including Uchimura himself, fell on the high bars. Japan were ready to file a protest, as Uchimura's fall came in controversial fashion, but the superstar got the score he needed to win Japan its first team gold medal since 1978.

Here's a look at the final results:   

Pos	Nation	Score
1	Japan	270.818
2	Great Britain	270.345
3	China	269.959
4	Russia	268.362
5	USA	267.853

The full schedule for the competition can be found on the event's official website. For the full team and individual results visit the FIG's official website.

Recap

Japan and China entered the team final as the two favourites for the gold medal, with Russia, Great Britain and the USA expected to battle it out for the bronze medal. The hosts shocked a few during qualifiers, holding off the Russians and a disappointing American squad to finish third, and a superb start on the pommel horse had the fans in Glasgow believing in their chances.

British Gymnastics were fired up as Max Whitlock managed a superb 15.700 that pushed the team into third place early:

Some fans were even dreaming of a gold medal for the Brits, but that hope seemed to fade as soon as Japan started its floor routine. Led by Uchimura, the Asian giants blew everyone out of the water with a collective score of 47.258, seemingly ending the competition after the apparatus.

And while Japan were cruising, rivals China struggled. Ruoteng Xiao, one of the top performers during qualifiers, fell off the pommel horse, and the team's showing during the floor routine wasn't particularly impressive either.

By the time Japan were done on the rings, Gymnastics Coaching doubted whether China would even gain on their rivals in their best apparatus:

Japan's team effort was sublime, but Uchimura stole the show at every turn. The fans couldn't believe what they were seeing when the 26-year-old stepped off the parallel bars with a score of 15.866, hardly his best apparatus. He was near-perfect on the vault, and as ever, his floor routine had no equal.

Unsurprisingly, fans and pundits alike took to Twitter to express their admiration. USA Today's Maggie Hendricks was in complete awe:

So was Gymnastics Coaching:

In 2014, China stole the gold from Japan by .1 on the last apparatus, and Uchimura and Company were clearly determined not to let that happen again. At the halfway point of the competition, their lead was already rather large, with the USA taking up second place and China down in fifth.

Things were looking up for the Americans until they started their floor routine, where Donnell Whittenburg and Paul Ruggeri both slipped up, leading to lower scores and effectively ending their chances of catching Japan. The Americans filed an inquiry for Whittenburg's floor routine, but it was rejected.

With one apparatus left, Japan led the USA by almost two whole points, with China and Great Britain both within striking distance of the Americans. Yusuke Tanaka added some last-minute drama with his second fall of the day—this time off the high bar—and it was up to Uchimura himself to save the day.

Incredibly enough, this happened, per the event's official Twitter account:

Controversially, the fall came just as the British crowd reacted to the judges handing out the final score for the home team, which brought them past China in the standings. Japan were furious and ready to protest in case Uchimura's final score wasn't enough for the gold, but the judges fortunately rewarded the rest of his routine sufficiently. Gymnastike went berserk:

Will Graves of the Associated Press noted Uchimura, one of the sport's all-time greats, finally got his team gold:

For all of their individual dominance, Japan's lack of success in the team event almost extended yet another year after similar heartbreak in China in 2014. Britain's silver medal marks the first time the nation made the podium in the men's team event. 

Kristian Thomas thanked everyone who supported the team all week long:

Many fans and analysts rejoiced when Great Britain finished inside the top eight during the qualifiers, which saw the team book their spot at next year's Olympics, but Wednesday's showing indicates the Brits still have room to grow, and an Olympic medal in 2016 may be a realistic option.

The World Championships will continue on Thursday with the women's all-round final.     

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