The door was wide open for a new champion to emerge in the men’s high bar final after defending champion Daiki Hashimoto shockingly did not advance to the final. However, his teammate — and perhaps the new star of the Japanese men’s gymnastics team — Shinnosuke Oka rose to the occasion to win the gold in his absence.
Oka and Colombia’s Angel Barajas both scored a 14.533 but the tie was broken using execution scores. Oka had a 8.633 and Barajas had a 7.933, which put Barajas in silver medal position — the first Olympic medal for Colombia in gymnastics.
China's Zhang Boheng, who was the top qualifier, was excellent throughout his routine but put his hands down on the dismount (13.966). Tang Chia-Hung of Chinese Taipei had gold medal potential but fell on his Cassina for a 13.966.
Since Chia-Hung and Boheng had the same execution score and difficulty score, both athletes received the bronze medal.