Japan ended China’s near-decade-long reign, while the U.S. fell from second to fifth in the final rotation at the World Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, on Wednesday.
Kohei Uchimura, who will go for a sixth straight World all-around title Friday, led the Japanese to victory by .473 of a point over Great Britain, which earned its first Worlds team medal. China rallied for bronze. Though Uchimura fell off high bar on the final Japanese routine to dampen the exclamation point.
China had relegated Japan to silver at the last five World Championships and the last two Olympics, after Japan took the 2004 Olympic title.