Artistic gymnast Tang Chia-hung of Taiwan, who won a bronze medal on the horizontal bar at the Paris Olympic Games last year, on Friday secured a place in the final at the World Cup Osijek with the highest score in the round.
Tang finished first among 30 competitors in Croatia, earning 14.933 points, including 5.9 for difficulty — the most difficult routine performed in the qualification round.
He was given 8.933 points for execution and was awarded 0.1 bonus points for his dismount.
Photo: AFP
“I feel good overall. This 5.9-difficulty routine does not include any new elements, so it’s kind of conservative, [but] this is just my first tournament in the new Olympic cycle, so I want to adjust myself first,” Tang told reporters after advancing to today’s final.
Tang, who had not competed in any other tournaments since the Paris Olympic Games in August last year, said that he was “a bit nervous.”
“I haven’t competed for a while, so I did feel a bit nervous before performing, but I found that old feeling again once I started the routine,” he said.
Before traveling to Croatia, Tang had announced his intention to debut new elements in the tournament and seek official recognition from the International Gymnastics Federation.
However, that plan might be delayed, as he is still consulting with the judges, he said on Friday.
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