Success of U.S. women’s gymnastics team casts big shadow over men

Kohei Uchimura and Oleg Verniaiev dueled for six rotations and finished the all-around final on the high bar, dazzling the crowd with their brilliance and determination. When it was over, the gap between Uchimura’s gold and Verniaiev’s silver was a .099.

The same can’t be said of the gap between the U.S. men’s gymnastics team and the medal podium at the Rio Olympics. The disparity has created a growing concern among those responsible for the program’s performance.

“Certainly finishing fifth pulls everything into question and we have to take a serious look at it,” said men’s national team coordinator Kevin Mazeika of the finish in the team finals. “That falls on my shoulders. I’ve got to take a really hard look and see what we need to do.

“We’re not satisfied with finishing fifth.”

There are still chances to win medals in individual events, but the men are even falling short of the 2012 effort. Four years ago, Danell Leyva won the bronze medal for the U.S. in the all-around.

This time in the all-around, Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast finished seventh and Chris Brooks was 14th in the 24-man field.

At the top of the leader board there was high drama. Uchimura, of Japan, scored 15.800 on the high bar to shift the pressure to Verniaiev.

Verniaiev, of Ukraine, the last competitor, needed a 14.899 to win. He completed a steady and clean routine with a slight hop on his landing. He received 14.800.

“We managed to put an amazing show together,” he said.

Said Uchimura: “At one point, I thought I lost.”

Verniaiev compared Uchimura, the two-time all-around champion, to swimming icon Michael Phelps. Britain’s Max Whitlock, the bronze medalist, called Uchimura “my idol.”

Mikulak’s last event was the floor exercise while all eyes were on high bar.

“Sometimes you have perfect performances, sometimes you just have little wobbles,” said Mikulak, who was 16th after three rotations. “I didn’t destroy it like everyone would have wanted to me to.”

It has been eight years since the U.S. men’s team won a team medal, a bronze in Beijing, and the last gold medal in the team event came in 1984 in Los Angeles.

Perceptions have not been helped by the wildly successful U.S. women’s team, winners of the team gold Tuesday.

Comparing programs is often tricky, considering the approach and ages of the athletes. Still, the female gymnasts are creating a shadow like the Lakers did in their glory days.

“I think it’s because they keep winning gold medals,” Mikulak said. “I don’t think it’s a very hard thing to see. How much did they win by? It’s ridiculous. They are on another level. That attention they get, they deserve.”

About the only member of the men’s team to express doubt and deep dismay in Rio, at least publicly, was Leyva, who fell off the high bar near the end of his routine in the team final. Mikulak, who stepped out of bounds twice in his floor routine in the team final, is relentlessly positive on the competition floor and when the cameras are on. Behind the scenes, apparently, it isn’t any different.

“No, I was very happy with my performance,” he said. “I wouldn’t change anything, no regrets because I stuck every single routine that I did that day. … I had a blast. I can’t put myself down in any way.”

lisa.dillman@latimes.com

Twitter: @reallisa