China's Zhang Boheng made a grand entry onto the world stage, winning the men's all-around world championship in his international debut, leaving Japan's Tokyo Olympic champion Daiki Hashimoto with the silver medal on Friday, the fifth day at Kitakyushu General Gymnasium.

China's Zhang Boheng reacts after competing on the parallel bars in the men's all-around final on the fifth day of the artistic gymnastics world championships on Oct. 22, 2021, at Kitakyushu General Gymnasium in Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan. (Pool photo)(Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The 20-year-old Hashimoto, who finished first, just ahead of Zhang in qualifying, aimed to be Japan's fifth men's world champion and its first since Kohei Uchimura won the last of his six straight titles in 2015.

"I feel some frustration, but he (Zhang) is a real champion," Hashimoto said. "I'm still not strong enough."

Daiki Hashimoto of Japan falls from the pommel horse in the men's all-around final on the fifth day of the artistic gymnastics world championships on Oct. 22, 2021, at Kitakyushu General Gymnasium in Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Zhang, finishing with 87.981 points to Hashimoto's 87.964, top-scored on the floor exercise, the vault and the parallel bars, while finishing second-best on the rings and horizontal bar, the only apparatus where Hashimoto bested the field. Both Hashimoto and Zhang suffered falls on the pommel horse.

"Hashimoto is someone I'm going to be competing against for some years to come," the 21-year-old Zhang said. "I got off to a good start."

Ukraine's Illia Kovtun was third.