Lee Chih-kai ( zh, s=李智凯, t=李智凱, p=Lǐ Zhìkǎi, tp=Lǐ Jhìhkǎi, w=Li3 Chih4k'ai3; born 3 April 1996) is a Taiwanese

artistic gymnast Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which designs the Code of Points and regulates ...

. He is the

2020 Olympic The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the List of Olympic Games h ...

silver medalist in the

pommel horse The pommel horse is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. Traditionally, it is used by only male gymnasts. Originally made of a metal frame with a wooden body and a leather cover, the modern pommel horse has a metal body covered with foam rubber and ...

, and he was the first gymnast representing

Chinese Taipei "Chinese Taipei" is the term used in various international organizations and tournaments for groups or delegations representing the Republic of China (ROC), a country commonly known as Taiwan. Due to the One-China principle stipulated by th ...

to win an Olympic medal. He is the 2019 World silver medalist and the 2018 World bronze medalist on the

. He is the

2018 Asian Games The 2018 Asian Games ( id, Pesta Olahraga Asia 2018 or ''Asian Games 2018''), officially known as the 18th Asian Games and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018 or Indonesia 2018, was a Asia, continental multi-sport event that was held from 18 A ...

pommel horse champion and the 2019 Asian all-around champion. He is a three-time (

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2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

and

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

)

Summer Universiade The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and "Olympiad". The Universiade is referred t ...

pommel horse champion.

Early life

Lee was born in

Yilan Yilan may refer to: China *Yilan County, Heilongjiang (依兰县), county of central Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China *Yilan Town, Heilongjiang (依兰镇), seat of Yilan County * Yilan, Jilin (依兰镇), town in Yanji Taiwan *Y ...

in 1996 and began training in gymnastics at the age of six by joining his elementary school's gymnastics team.

Career

Lee Chih-Kai and Tai Tzu-Ying accepted souvenirs from President Tsai Ing-wen

2014

Lee competed at the

Pacific Rim Championships The Pacific Rim Championships is a major regional biennial gymnastics competition. It is open to teams from member nations of the Pacific Alliance of National Gymnastics Federations, namely Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, ...

and helped the Chinese Taipei team finish sixth. Individually, he finished thirteenth in the all-around and fourth on the

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosure ...

. He then represented

Chinese Taipei at the 2014 Asian Games Chinese Taipei participated in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea from 19 September to 4 October 2014. Ten gold medals were won in weightlifting, taekwondo, cycling, karate, tennis, bowling, and golf. Football Women's tournament G ...

where the team finished sixth. He then finished sixth in the all-around final. In the event finals, he finished eighth on the

floor exercise In gymnastics, the floor is a specially prepared exercise surface, which is considered an apparatus. It is used by both male and female gymnasts. The gymnastics event performed on the floor is called floor exercise. The English abbreviation for t ...

and fifth on the

. He then competed at the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

Nanning Nanning (; ; za, Namzningz) is the capital and largest city by population of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China. It is known as the "Green City" because of its abundance of lush subtropical foliage. Located in the South of ...

where the Chinese Taipei team finished twenty-fourth.

2015

Lee represented Chinese Taipei at the 2015 Summer Universiade and helped the team finish ninth. Then at the

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

where the Chinese Taipei team finished twenty-third. Individually, Lee finished forty-second in the all-around and qualified for the 2016 Olympic Test Event.

2016

In April, Lee competed at the Olympic Test Event where he finished forty-seventh in the all-around and qualified as an individual for the 2016 Olympic Games. One month prior to the Olympics, Lee broke his foot and tore ligaments in his ankle, so he only competed on the pommel horse in Rio. He finished thirty-first on the pommel horse in the qualification round and did not advance into the final. This marked Chinese Taipei's highest individual finish at the Olympic Games in gymnastics.

2017

Lee was selected to represent Chinese Taipei at the 2017 Summer Universiade alongside Chen Jin-ling, Hsu Ping-chien, Tang Chia-hung, and Yu Chao-wei, and they finished fifth in the team competition. Individually, Lee qualified for the all-around final where he finished seventh with a total score of 82.600. Then in the pommel horse final, he won the gold medal with a score of 15.300.

2018

Lee competed at the

and won the bronze medal on the

behind Americans

Akash Modi Akash Modi (born May 9, 1995) is an American artistic gymnast. He represented the United States at the 2018 and the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and was an alternate for the 2016 and 2020 Olympic teams. Personal life Born in Ed ...

and

Sam Mikulak Samuel Anthony Mikulak (born October 13, 1992) is a retired American artistic gymnast. He is a six-time U.S. national all-around champion (2013–2016, 2018–2019), the 2018 World bronze medalist on high bar, and a three-time Olympian (2012, 2 ...

. Then in the pommel horse final, he won the silver medal behind American

Marvin Kimble Marvin Kimble (born October 27, 1995) is an American artistic gymnast. In 2015, Kimble and Jossimar Calvo of Colombia won the gold medal in the men's pommel horse event at the 2015 Pan American Games held in Toronto, Canada. Gymnastics career ...

. He won the gold medal on the vault with an average score of 14.450. Then at the Melbourne World Cup, he won the silver medals on the pommel horse behind

Nariman Kurbanov Nariman Kurbanov (born 6 December 1997) is a Kazakhstani artistic gymnast. He competed at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Career He represented Kazakhstan at the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia. ...

and on the vault behind

Christopher Remkes Christopher Remkes is an Australian gymnast who has competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Early life An orphan, Christopher Remkes's date of birth is listed as 3 September 1996. According to the orphanage that took care of him, he was abandon ...

. Then at the Doha World Cup, he won the silver medal on the pommel horse behind

Zou Jingyuan Zou Jingyuan (, born 3 January 1998) is a Chinese artistic gymnast who specializes on parallel bars and rings (gymnastics), rings. He is the Gymnastics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's parallel bars, 2020 Olympic Champion and a three-time w ...

. He won his first

FIG World Cup FIG World Cup refers to a number of events organized by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) across seven competitive gymnastics disciplines: 1) acrobatic gymnastics, 2) aerobic gymnastics, 3) men's artistic gymnastics, 4) women's artistic ...

title by winning the pommel horse title at the Osijek World Challenge Cup. Lee was selected to represent Chinese Taipei at the 2018 Asian Games alongside

Chen Chih-yu Chen may refer to: People * Chen (surname) (陳 / 陈), a common Chinese surname * Chen (singer) (born 1992), member of the South Korean-Chinese boy band EXO * Chen Chen (born 1989), Chinese-American poet * (), a Hebrew first name or surname: ...

Shiao Yu-jan Shiao Yu-jan (; born 9 December 1999) is a Taiwanese artistic gymnast. He represented Chinese Taipei at the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia without winning a medal. In 2019, he competed at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships ...

, Tang Chia-hung, and Yu Chao-wei, and they finished fourth in the team competition. Lee finished fifth in the

all-around The All-Around is an award given to a rodeo competitor who is most successful in two or more events. Most individual rodeos and championships determine the winner of this award at the conclusion of the other events or championships. Championship ...

with a total score of 81.900. In the event finals, he finished fifth on

floor A floor is the bottom surface of a room or vehicle. Floors vary from simple dirt in a cave to many layered surfaces made with modern technology. Floors may be stone, wood, bamboo, metal or any other material that can support the expected load ...

and sixth on

parallel bars Parallel bars are floor apparatus consisting of two wooden bars slightly over long and positioned at roughly head height. Parallel bars are used in artistic gymnastics and also for physical therapy and home exercise. Gymnasts may optionally we ...

, and he won the gold medal on the

. At the

, the Chinese Taipei team finished seventeenth in the qualification round. Lee finished eighth in the pommel horse and qualified for the final with a score of 13.700. He then won the bronze medal in the final behind

Xiao Ruoteng Xiao Ruoteng (, born 30 January 1996) is a Chinese artistic gymnast. Personal life Xiao was born 30 January 1996 in Beijing, China. He began gymnastics at age five. Xiao has received four awards. The General Administration of Sport of Chin ...

and

Max Whitlock Max Antony Whitlock (born 13 January 1993) is a British artistic gymnast. With fourteen medals and six titles in Olympic and world championships, Whitlock is the most successful gymnast in his nation's history, and the most successful pommel h ...

. This was only the second medal Chinese Taipei had won at the

World Artistic Gymnastics Championships The Artistic Gymnastics World Championships are the world championships for artistic gymnastics governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). The first edition of the championships was held in 1903, exclusively for male gymnas ...

and the first since Chang Feng-chih won the silver medal on the vault in 1993. After the World Championships, he won the gold medal on the pommel horse at the Cottbus World Cup.

2019

Lee won the gold medal on the pommel horse at the Melbourne World Cup and at the Doha World Cup. He then competed at the

Asian Championships An Asian Championship is a top level international sports competition between Asian athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of Championships (Summer Olympic Sports) ;Aquatics * Asia ...

where the Chinese Taipei team won the bronze medal behind China and Japan. Individually, Lee won the gold medal in the all-around. In the event finals, he finished fifth on floor and sixth on pommel horse. He then represented Chinese Taipei at the 2019 Summer Universiade alongside Hsu Ping-chien and Tang Chia-hung, and they won the team silver medal behind Japan. Lee won the bronze medal in the all-around behind

Kazuma Kaya is a Japanese artistic gymnast. Kaya was part of the Japanese team that won the gold medal in the team event at the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. He also won a gold medal in the 2015 Asian Championships in Hiroshima. At the 201 ...

and

Ivan Stretovich Ivan Alexeyevich Stretovich (russian: Иван Алексеевич Стретович; born 6 October 1996) is a Russian artistic gymnast. He won a silver medal in the team event at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Competitive history Career Str ...

. He defended his Universiade tite on the pommel horse with a score of 15.400, 0.700 ahead of the silver medalist. He competed at the

alongside Hsu Ping-chien,

, Tang Chia-hung, and Yu Chao-wei. The team finished eighth in the qualification round and qualified a team for the 2020 Olympic Games. They also qualified for the team final where they finished sixth. Lee finished twelfth in the all-around final with a total score of 83.798. He won the silver medal in the pommel horse final behind

2020

Lee finished eighth in the all-around at the

American Cup The American Cup (also known as the American Football Association Cup and the American Federation Cup) was the first major U.S. soccer competition open to teams beyond a single league. It was first held in 1885. In the 1910s, it gradually dec ...

. He was scheduled to compete at the Tokyo World Cup taking place on 4 April. However, the Tokyo World Cup was later canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak in Japan.

2021

Lee was selected to represent

Chinese Taipei at the 2020 Summer Olympics Taiwan competed under the designated name "Chinese Taipei" at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic ...

alongside Hung Yuan-hsi,

, and Tang Chia-hung. The team finished tenth in the qualification round, making them the second reserve for the team final. Lee qualified for the all-around final in seventeenth place and for the pommel horse final in first place after beating

Rhys McClenaghan Rhys Joshua McClenaghan (born 21 July 1999) is a Northern Irish artistic gymnast competing internationally for both Northern Ireland and Ireland. He is the 2022 world champion on pommel horse, the first Irish artistic gymnast ever to win world ...

and

Kohei Kameyama is a Japanese artistic gymnast. He won a gold medal at the 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in pommel horse. He made his Olympic debut at the age of 32 when he participated in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as one of the two appara ...

in an execution score tiebreaker. In the all-around final, he finished twenty-first with a total score of 80.699. Then in the pommel horse final, Lee won the silver medal behind Great Britain's

. Although Lee had the highest execution score in the final (8.700), but his difficulty score was 0.300 lower than Whitlock's, and he finished 0.183 behind Whitlock overall. This marked the first time Chinese Taipei won an Olympic medal in gymnastics.

2022

Lee competed at the

and helped the Chinese Taipei team win the bronze medal behind China and Japan. He finished eighth in the all-around with a total score of 82.000, and he finished fourth in the pommel horse final. He withdrew from the 2022 World Championships after being named to the team.

Media

Lee was featured in a 2005 documentary ''Jump! Boys'' which followed Lee and his elementary school gymnastics teammates. A follow-up documentary, ''Jump! Men'', was released in 2017 and recapped Lee's journey to the 2016 Olympic Games.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Chih-Kai 1996 births Living people Taiwanese male artistic gymnasts People from Yilan County, Taiwan Gymnasts at the 2014 Asian Games Gymnasts at the 2018 Asian Games Gymnasts at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic gymnasts for Taiwan Taiwanese people of Hoklo descent Universiade medalists in gymnastics Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists for Chinese Taipei Asian Games medalists in gymnastics FISU World University Games gold medalists for Chinese Taipei Universiade silver medalists for Chinese Taipei Universiade bronze medalists for Chinese Taipei Medalists at the 2017 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 2019 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 2021 Summer Universiade Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships Gymnasts at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in gymnastics Olympic silver medalists for Taiwan Gymnasts at the 2022 Asian Games