[Life] Li Chih-kai wins bronze at Asian Championships, ends medal drought despite setbacks, persists with dream
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bellala 央廣＠＠4h ago
Taiwan's "Pommel Horse Prince" Li Chih-kai won a bronze medal in the men's pommel horse final at the Gymnastics Asian Championships today (20th), returning to the international podium after two years. Coach Lin Yu-hsin expressed his deep emotion and relief that his beloved student continues to pursue his dream.
Li Chih-kai, a 30-year-old renowned gymnast, won an unprecedented silver medal for Taiwan in the men's pommel horse at the Tokyo Olympics, and successively achieved three consecutive gold medals at the Universiade and two consecutive gold medals at the Asian Games, solidifying his reputation as the "Pommel Horse Prince." However, after failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics, Li Chih-kai faced a series of injuries and rule changes in the new gymnastics cycle, and had not been on the international podium for two years.
Now, at the Asian Gymnastics Championships held in China, Li Chih-kai has ended his "medal drought" in international competitions. He first qualified for the men's pommel horse final by ranking sixth in the preliminary round. Today, he delivered an excellent performance in the final, scoring 5.5 difficulty points, 8.633 execution points, for a total of 14.133 points, securing the bronze medal. This is also his first Asian Championships pommel horse medal, ranking behind Uzbekistan's Juraev Utkirbek and China's Zhang Bohang.
Head coach Lin Yu-hsin told CNA in an interview after the competition: "I am very moved and somewhat relieved. Even when facing setbacks, he (Li Chih-kai) still chose to persevere over these two years, to break through for his dream." According to the current international gymnastics scoring standards for the pommel horse, Li Chih-kai had to "seal" some of his signature moves, such as the Thomas flair. Lin Yu-hsin pointed out that they have been adjusting his routines to try to reduce deductions. Although Li Chih-kai performed first today, he completed the entire routine smoothly, putting pressure on other competitors. "His mindset was well-adjusted for this Asian Championships, and he finally won a medal in an international competition."
Lin Yu-hsin believes this medal will give Li Chih-kai more confidence and serve as a much-needed boost. They will continue to increase the difficulty and work together to aim for a third consecutive men's pommel horse gold medal at the Nagoya Asian Games, and then gradually challenge stages like the World Championships and the Los Angeles Olympics. "I'm happy to see him break through, and we will not give up."(Editor: Shen Chen-chiang)
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=215692
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