TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese Olympic gymnast Lee Chih-kai (李智凱) has risen to the No. 1 spot in the pommel horse, according to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
On Wednesday (March 2), Lee's coach Lin Yu-hsin (林育信) posted the latest FIG rankings for pommel horse on his Facebook page. Lee, who won the silver medal in the pommel horse at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, is now ranked No. 1 in the world with 90 points, ahead of China's Weng Hao with 85 and Japan's Kameyama Kohei with 75 points.
In his post, Lin wrote that "Taiwanese badminton player Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) is world No. 1, and now we also have a No. 1 in gymnastics." He then expressed his hope that the Chinese Taipei Gymnastics Association can further promote the sport, foster future role models, and encourage young athletes to "bravely pursue their dreams."
(gymnastics.sport screenshot)
The 25-year-old Lee is the first Taiwanese athlete in history to medal in gymnastics at the Olympics. When asked about Lee's future goals, Lin told CNA that he definitely plans to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
As for his short-term goals, Lee plans to achieve a gymnastics "Golden Grand Slam," which would mean winning all the major pommel horse competitions across the globe. For 2022, Lee is slated to compete in the FISU World University Games in Chengdu in June and July, the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September, and the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool in October and November.
