Lee Chih-kai facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lee Chih-kai
Lee in 2021
Personal information
Full name	Lee Chih-kai
Country represented	Chinese Taipei
Born	(1996-04-03) 3 April 1996 (age 29) Yilan, Taiwan
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Discipline	Men's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior international elite
Years on national team	2014–present
Club	Taoyuan County
Head coach(es)	Lin Yu-hsin
Medal record Men's artistic gymnastics Representing  Chinese Taipei Olympic Games Silver 2020 Tokyo Pommel horse World Championships Silver 2019 Stuttgart Pommel horse Bronze 2018 Doha Pommel horse Asian Games Gold 2018 Jakarta Pommel horse Gold 2022 Hangzhou Pommel horse Bronze 2022 Hangzhou Team Asian Championships Gold 2019 Ulaanbaatar All-around Bronze 2019 Ulaanbaatar Team Bronze 2022 Doha Team Pacific Rim Championships Gold 2018 Medellin Vault Silver 2018 Medellin Pommel horse Bronze 2018 Medellin Floor exercise Summer Universiade Gold 2017 Taipei Pommel horse Gold 2019 Napoli Pommel horse Gold 2021 Chengdu Pommel horse Silver 2019 Napoli Team Bronze 2019 Napoli All-around

Lee Chih-kai (born 3 April 1996) is a famous gymnast from Taiwan. He is best known for his amazing skills on the pommel horse. He made history by becoming the first gymnast from Chinese Taipei to win an Olympic medal.

Lee won a silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo for the pommel horse event. He also earned a silver medal at the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and a bronze medal at the 2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, both on the pommel horse.

He is also a two-time champion at the Asian Games (2018 and 2022) for the pommel horse. In 2019, he became the all-around champion at the Asian Gymnastics Championships. Lee has won the pommel horse gold medal three times at the Summer Universiade (2017, 2019, and 2021), showing his consistent talent.

Early Life and Training

Lee Chih-kai was born in Yilan, Taiwan in 1996. He started gymnastics when he was six years old. He joined his elementary school's gymnastics team, which was the beginning of his journey.

Gymnastics Career Highlights

Lee (center) with President Tsai Ing-wen and fellow Olympic medalist Tai Tzu-ying

Lee Chih-kai has competed in many important gymnastics events around the world. He has represented Chinese Taipei in major championships and brought home many medals.

Early Competitions (2014-2016)

In 2014, Lee competed at the Pacific Rim Championships. His team finished sixth. He also competed at the 2014 Asian Games, where his team placed sixth. He finished sixth in the all-around final at the Asian Games.

In 2016, Lee qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics as an individual gymnast. Before the Olympics, he broke his foot and hurt his ankle. Because of this, he could only compete on the pommel horse in Rio. He finished 31st, which was the highest individual finish for Chinese Taipei in gymnastics at the Olympics at that time.

Winning Gold and Bronze (2017-2018)

In 2017, Lee won his first major gold medal at the 2017 Summer Universiade in Taipei. He won the pommel horse event with a score of 15.300. His team finished fifth in the team competition.

In 2018, Lee had a very successful year. At the 2018 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships, he won a bronze medal on the floor exercise. He also won a silver medal on the pommel horse and a gold medal on the vault.

He continued to win medals at World Cup events. He won silver medals on the pommel horse at the Melbourne and Doha World Cups. He then won his first FIG World Cup title on the pommel horse at the Osijek World Challenge Cup.

At the 2018 Asian Games, Lee won a gold medal on the pommel horse. His team finished fourth. Later that year, at the 2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, he won a bronze medal on the pommel horse. This was a huge achievement, as it was only the second medal Chinese Taipei had ever won at the World Championships. After the World Championships, he won another gold medal on the pommel horse at the Cottbus World Cup.

World and Olympic Success (2019-2021)

Lee started 2019 by winning gold medals on the pommel horse at the Melbourne and Doha World Cups. At the 2019 Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships, his team won a bronze medal. Lee also won the gold medal in the all-around competition, showing his skill across all events.

He then competed at the 2019 Summer Universiade. His team won a silver medal. Lee won a bronze medal in the all-around and successfully defended his pommel horse title, winning gold again.

At the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Lee's team finished eighth. This result qualified a team for Chinese Taipei for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In the pommel horse final, Lee won a silver medal, finishing just behind Great Britain's Max Whitlock.

In 2020, many events were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lee was scheduled to compete at the Tokyo World Cup, but it was canceled.

Lee with his Olympic silver medal

In 2021, Lee represented Chinese Taipei at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. His team finished 10th. Lee qualified for the all-around final and, more importantly, for the pommel horse final in first place.

In the pommel horse final, Lee won the silver medal. He had the highest execution score, meaning his routine was performed very cleanly. However, his difficulty score was slightly lower than Max Whitlock's, who won the gold. This silver medal was a historic moment, as it was the first Olympic gymnastics medal for Chinese Taipei.

Recent Competitions (2022)

In 2022, Lee competed at the 2022 Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships. His team won a bronze medal. He finished eighth in the all-around and fourth in the pommel horse final. He later withdrew from the 2022 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

Documentaries About Lee Chih-kai

Lee Chih-kai's journey has been featured in two documentaries.

• Jump! Boys (2005): This film followed Lee and his elementary school gymnastics teammates.
• Jump! Men (2017): This follow-up documentary showed Lee's path to the 2016 Olympic Games.

See also

In Spanish: Lee Chih-Kai para niños