TOKYO -- While Japanese star Kohei Uchimura soared to a record third straight men’s all around title on Friday at the world gymnastics championships, Calgary’s Nathan Gafuik struggled to finish 23rd in the 24-man final.
 
Uchimura got off to a great start on floor and never looked back, leaving the rest of the field farther behind with each event, ultimately clinching with a total score of 93.631 points after a near perfect high bar routine.

Philipp Boy of Germany won the silver with a score of 90.530 and Koji Yamamuro of Japan took home the bronze at 90.255.

Gafuik, who was bumped up into the final due to a withdrawal in the starting lineup, never got untracked and wound up with 82.698 points.

“I anticipated having a rough start on pommel horse and rings but I just didn’t get going today at all and that’s about it,” said a disappointed Gafuik, who helped the Canadian men’s team secure a spot in the final Olympic qualification meet with a top-12 finish at the start of this year’s worlds.

Gafuik was the lone Canadian to qualify for an individual event final. The apparatus finals take place on Saturday and Sunday.

“Getting ready for the all around felt a little strange because the rest of the team went home but that’s excuse,” said the two-time Olympian.

“This is my job and I did a poor job at it today, but still, we made it to the qualification event in London as a team and we’ll do better there.”

Gafuik and his teammates will battle for one of the final four spots at the 2012 Olympics against other teams who placed 9th to 16th in Tokyo at a last-chance meet to be held in London in early January.

Other members of the team are Casey Sandy of Brampton, Ont., Kevin Lytwyn of Stoney Creek, Ont., Jackson Payne and Brandon O’Neill of Edmonton, Ken Ikeda of Abbotsford, B.C. and Jayd Lukenchuk of Saskatoon.