First Takehiro Kashima announced he would retire after the Toyota Cup.
Now Tomita.
Tomita’s generation led Japan back to prominence after a relatively fruitless decade in the 1990s …
Hiroyuki Tomita is a national hero in Japan.
In 2004, Tomita led his Japanese team to an upset victory over China (and everyone else) capturing the Olympic team title for the first time since 1976. Tomita was 6th all-around.
He was the first Japanese gymnast in 31 years to win the men’s World Championship in 2005.
After problems in the qualifying round, Tomita finished 4th all-around in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This despite a freak, dangerous looking fall on Rings.
It’s the end of an era.
Happily both Tomita and Kashima plan to coach.
