'King Kohei' ends golden gymnastics career with tinge of regret

Retiring Japanese gymnastics legend Kohei Uchimura said Friday that he had made his mark on the sport but was too much of a perfectionist to be satisfied.

The 33-year-old "King Kohei" won two Olympic and six world all-around titles, earning a reputation as one of the greatest male gymnasts of all time.

But Uchimura could not help but dwell on his perceived shortcomings when he spoke to reporters for the first time since announcing his retirement on Tuesday.

"If you're just talking about results, then I think I made my mark, but when I look back, I think about how I should have done this or that differently," said Uchimura, looking dapper in a dark suit as he answered questions at a Tokyo hotel.

"If you ask me if I'm satisfied with my career, I'd have to say no."

Uchimura won back-to-back all-around Olympic titles in 2012 and 2016, and also claimed the team title with Japan at the Rio 2016 Games.

He reigned supreme as world champion for eight years starting from 2009, until he was dethroned by injury.

His body began to show signs of wear and tear in recent years, and he dropped the defence of his all-around title at last year's Tokyo Olympics to focus on the horizontal bar.

He failed to reach the final, falling in qualifying.

Uchimura's final competition was at the world championships last October in Kitakyushu, the city where he was born.

He said the tiredness he felt preparing for that event convinced him to retire.

"More than my body hurting, I knew it would be difficult to keep up the practice needed to aim for the top, as a member of the Japan team," he said.