Japan’s Yuya Kamoto celebrated his 19th birthday last week and got just what he wished for: a chance to win a gold medal in men’s gymnastics. Not that the diminutive 5′ 2″, 132 lbs. Rings specialist hasn’t accomplished that feat in his short career already. He won the men’s individual all around competition at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games held in Singapore in 2010. But that was back when he competed against just the boys (all competitors were born between 1993 and 1994). Now he’s competing with the men. And while he only holds the # 15 spot in world rankings, at the 17th Asian Games his star is expected to shine. As for being adorably cute, Yuya is already a gold medal winner.

In Japan when you mention men’s gymnastics Kohei Uchimura’s name is what springs to everyone’s mind. Yuya’s too; he says Kohei is his hero. But at the country’s official press conference for its bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games, it was Yuya and not Kohei standing on the stage. While Uchimura’s career is far from over, the country is looking to its future and knows its future in international gymnastics is with Kamoto.

2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Uchimura still dominates on the podium. In May this year he became the first Japanese male to win seven consecutive national titles at the 68th All Japan Gymnastics Championship, and the following month captured his sixth consecutive trophy at the 53rd NHK Cup International Gymnastics Tournament. Yuya, a student at Nippon Sport Science University, placed 7th in the individual all around in May, and moved up to the 6th spot in June. With Uchimura not competing in Incheon since he’s preparing for the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships to be held in Nanning, China in early October, Japan is placing its hopes on Yuya at the XVII Asiad.

And with good reason. In 2013 Kamoto placed 7th at the World Cup held in Stuttgart, Germany, the highest finishing place among the male competitors from Japan. And while his younger team mate, the barely legal Kenzo Shirai, continues to dazzle on the floor exercise, Yuya, whose father is a former gymnast and encouraged him to get into the sport at the age of five, excels on the rings where he throws a double front layout swinging element in combination with a double front tuck. The much easier double pike in combination with a double tuck has been the norm up to this point.

Yuya’s biggest competition at Incheon is expected to be China’s Junlin Liao, who dominated the rings competitions in 2010 and 2011, racking up an enviable number of gold medals in international competitions. But this year he’s been off his feed although he placed 10th in the event at 7th Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup held in Doha, Qatar last March to Kamoto’s 13th place finish. But Yuya is also a bit of a demon on the parallel bars and while his chances of medalling on individual events look good, his opportunity for taking home the gold for the individual all around is even better. Which should place him just where he wants to be: looking forward to the 2016 Summer Games in Rio.

[‘The XVII Asiad’ are a series of posts about hot competitors and general articles about the 2014 17th Asian Games of interest to gay men. So, yeah, lots of hot male eye candy. Click the XVII Asiad’ graphic below for additional news, stories, and pictures.]