PARIS — Japan's reigning Olympic all-around gymnastics champion Daiki Hashimoto had been on an emotional roller-coaster for months.

Back in May, injury had forced him to suddenly pull out of the NHK Trophy — the sport's marquee tournament in Japan — that he hoped would be his chance to dress-rehearse his routines ahead of the Paris Games.

Still nursing a far-from-healed finger injury, he joined other Olympic-bound athletes at the team's training camp even though he wondered whether he would be able to lead the five-man team to the gold medal that his nation expected.

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