Taipei (Taiwan), November 5 (CNA) Thirty-year-old Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung claimed the gold medal Sunday, October 25, on the horizontal bar at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, making history as Taiwan’s first gymnastics world champion.

Tang took home gold with a score of 14.966, ahead of Shinnosuke Oka of Japan (14.800) and bronze-medal winner Sergei Naidin.

With the highest difficulty score among the finalists, Tang’s coach, Huang said, “As long as (Tang) can finish his (horizontal bar) performance, he can beat others.”

After qualifying for the horizontal bar final, Tang continued his usual training regimen without making any special adjustments, Huang said. He reminded Tang to stay calm and not put too much pressure on himself.

Tang said that he had participated in two previous horizontal bar finals at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, finishing fifth in 2018 and eighth in 2019. But Tang did not perform his best in either event, he said.

“I just wanted to enjoy the vibe” at this year’s competition and perform his usual moves as he had been practicing at home, Tang told International Gymnast Online.

The 30-year-old’s first world championships medal also happens to be his first gold medal.

Taiwan’s gymnasts have brought back two silver medals and one bronze medal from the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships before, but Tang’s gold medal Sunday was the first for the team.

Tang won a bronze medal on the horizontal bar at the 2024 Olympic Games and won the horizontal bar title at this year’s 2026 season-opening World Cup event held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

“We won this gold medal together,” Tang said after Sunday’s final, thanking all those who have helped him achieve the title, taking Taiwanese gymnastics one step closer to success on the international stage.

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Tanu