Elite Japanese Gymnast Reportedly Owed $5K in Data Overages After Playing Pokémon Go in Rio Before Olympics

Kohei Uchimura didn't know his cell contract didn't provide for unlimited data use overseas

Photo: Koji Watanabe/Getty Images

Being a Pokémon master takes sacrifice. So does being an Olympic-level gymnast.

And now, Kohei Uchimura knows the cost of both.

Uchimura, a six-time world champion and four-time gold medalist, is, like most of the world, a fan of the “augmented reality” smartphone game Pokémon Go. He’s a bit behind the times, though: He told the Kyodo Times that he really only picked up the game when he arrived in Brazil for pre-Olympic training.

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There turned out to be a bit of a problem with that, though, because Uchimura, 27, didn’t have a flat rate with his cell provider for overseas data usage. That meant pursuing Pokémon with the zeal he pursues Olympic glory came with a big price tag: $500,000 yen, or about $5,000.

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“He looked dead at the team meal that day,” teammate Kenzo Shirai told the Times.

But there’s a happy ending to the story!

Uchimura’s provider let him grandfather his way into a $30/day plan, saving him a chunk of change.

So, you know, another gold medal would be kind of a secondary victory to becoming a Pokémon master and getting the upper hand over a cell phone company.