At 22, Hashimoto is an iconic figure in Japan. He already is, having become the youngest gymnast in history to win an Olympic gold medal at Tokyo 2020. This achievement earned him respect and recognition. It was widely predicted that he would be the favourite for Paris 2024. 

However, a ligament injury to the middle finger of his right hand in May, when he was training for his final competition before the Games, threatened to derail his progress.

Hashimoto has said he expects to be ready when gymnastics begins in Paris on 27 July, but doubts remain about his form. His talent is immense. Hashimoto is a two-time world all-around champion and will be one of the favourites to win the title, even if his preparations have been less than ideal.

If he wins, he will be on a par with the legendary Kohei Uchimura, who also won the all-around title at the Paris Olympics. Daiki Hashimoto has always been seen as the good-natured farm boy from the suburbs of Tokyo. Modest and simple, he has the potential to achieve Olympic glory.

Hashimoto became the youngest men's all-around champion in Olympic history when he won gold at the pandemic-hit Tokyo Games three years ago. In the horizontal bar competition he also triumphed. This unprecedented success made him an idol in Japan, capable of filling the void left by Uchimura, who retires in 2022, but who had previously won consecutive Olympic all-around titles in 2012 and 2016 and was part of the Japanese team that won gold at the Rio Games.

Hashimoto's success marked a changing of the guard after the long and dominant reign of Uchimura, widely regarded as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. Now Hashimoto has the chance to follow in his illustrious compatriot's footsteps. Despite suffering a finger injury in the build-up to Paris, Hashimoto said.

I think it looks good," Hashimoto told reporters after training with his Japanese teammates at the end of June, "but my finger is still not 100 per cent, so I can't let my guard down."

He has the backing of Uchimura, who is also predicting a team title for Japan. "I believe Hashimoto, who trains the best in the world, is the strongest in the world," Uchimura told the Japanese media. However, the Olympics have the power to change athletes. It's about whether Hashimoto can maintain his overwhelming strength and whether his rivals will change," said the former champion.

Hashimoto began gymnastics at the age of six after watching his two older brothers do the same. He soon showed his potential when he competed at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart while still in high school. He had an extra year to hone his skills when the Tokyo Games were postponed for a year due to the pandemic.

Uchimura decided not to compete in the all-around on home soil due to wear and tear, and Hashimoto took centre stage in the final. He started in third place and went into the final rotation, the horizontal bar. His performance was perfect and the crowd on its feet.

His performance lifted him to first place. He won the title ahead of China's Xiao Ruoteng and Russian champion Nikita Nagornyy. "The champion must not cry, only look forward," he said.

Since then, he has gone from strength to strength. He finished second to China's Zhang Boheng at the 2021 World Championships, but went on to win the title at the next two editions. He still has some way to go to catch up with Uchimura, who has won six world all-around titles, but he could do the same in Paris in 2024.

"I want to work hard so that when people ask what sport has made a splash this year, the answer is gymnastics," he said.