Zou Jingyuan defends parallel bars title on final day of artistic gymnastics at Paris Olympics

PARIS (AP) — Zou Jingyuan of China was close to perfection Monday to defend his Olympic title in parallel bars on the final day of artistic gymnastics at the Paris Games.

It was Zou’s third medal in Paris after he and his teammates were runner-up behind Japan in the team event. He also claimed a silver in rings.

Zou, who is also a three-time world champion in the discipline, claimed gold ahead of Illia Kovtun of Ukraine. Shinnosuke Oka of Japan, the all-around champion, took bronze.

There is a final gold medal to be decided later Monday in the men’s competition, on the horizontal bar. It’s another chance for China to add to its tally of Olympic titles after Zhang Boheng posted the highest score in qualifying.

Kovtun kicked off the event with a difficult routine that included a spectacular handstand on one rail that impressed judges and earned him a score of 15.500.

He remained in the lead until Zou posted a massive 16.200 with a sublime routine combining strength elements with impressive aerials that he capped with a stuck dismount. That was the highest single score in artistic gymnastics at these Games.

It was a rare feat from Zou, who became the first man to defend his title on parallel bars at the Olympics since Sawao Kato of Japan in 1976.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games