Taiwan athlete Lee Chih-kai claimed gold in the men’s pommel horse at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup series event Nov. 24 in Cottbus, Germany, moving him one step closer to qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
 
At the 43rd Turnier Der Meister FIG Individual Apparatus World Cup, the artistic gymnast completed a challenging routine ending with his signature Thomas Flair move to earn a total 15.508 points. Thomas Flair is a technique in which the athlete whirls his legs around like helicopter blades.
 
Lee’s gold gave him 30 points towards qualifying for the next Summer Olympics. Each medal won in Apparatus World Cup series events between November 2018 and March 2020 will earn marks, with the top scorer in each individual category qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Games.
 
The Taiwan athlete beat Weng Hao from China and Saeedreza Keikha from Iran who claimed silver and bronze, respectively.
 
This is Lee’s third gold medal this year. He triumphed at the FIG World Challenge Cup Osijek May 27 in Croatia and bagged Taiwan’s first-ever gymnastics gold at the Asian Games Aug. 23 in Indonesia.
 
Born in northeastern Taiwan’s Yilan County, the 22-year-old first rose to fame when he featured in the award-winning gymnastics documentary “Jump! Boys” released in 2005. Last year, he won gold in the men’s pommel horse event at the Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade and the 14th Singapore Open Gymnastics Championships. (CPY-E)