Kohei Uchimura's gold-medal haul keeps growing.

The superstar gymnast from Japan won the men's all-around Olympic title on the night of Wednesday (10 August), edging Ukranian Oleg Verniaiev by less than a tenth of the point to capture his second straight gold. Uchimura trailed heading into the final rotation but put up a dazzling 15.8 on high bar. Verniaiev followed with a less challenging routine and hopped forward on the dismount at the Rio Olympic Arena.

Needing 14.9 to win, Verniaiev instead earned a 14.8. The crowd groaned when the score was revealed, though Verniaiev shrugged his shoulders as if to say "what can you do?"

Uchimura finished with a total of 92.365, just ahead of Verniaiev's 92.266.

Max Whitlock of Great Britain was third, just ahead of Russia's David Belyavskiy.

Uchimura cemented his reputation as one of the greatest gymnasts in history (Photo: Getty Images/Laurence Griffiths)

Uchimura arrived in Rio as the overwhelming favourite to defend the all-around gold he won in London four years ago. Yet the six-time world champion said repeatedly his ultimate goal was a team gold for Japan. He got that triumphant moment on Monday night, when he guided the Japanese to the top of the podium for the first time since 2004 with a nearly flawless finishing kick on floor exercise.

Ukrainian challenge

Verniaiev provided Uchimura with tough opposition in the all-around final, taking the lead through two rotations and answering every time it seemed Uchimura threw down a challenge. When Uchimura drilled a 15.566 on vault – the highest of the night on the event – Verniaiev responded with a 15.500. His superb 16.1 on parallel bars  – his legs straight as pencils during his handstands – gave him a commanding lead going into the final event on high bar.

A brave performance by Verniaiev wasn't enough to unseat the defending champion (Photo: Getty Images/Alex Livesey)

Yet Uchimura, the world champion on high bar, put on a spectacular show. He threw four difficult release moves, his body soaring over the bar before catching it just in time. Verniaiev took a slightly different tact. Knowing what he needed to win Ukraine's first ever all-around Olympic gold in the sport, he put together an easier and less risky routine.

When he landed, he took a hop forward and leaned ever so briefly to the left. He pumped his fist and encouraged the crowd as he exited the podium, then bent over in disappointment afterward.