Tang Chia-hung commits error in horizontal bar final, finishes 7th at Gymnastics World Challenge Cup

Central News Agency, Taipei, May 31. At the Gymnastics World Challenge Cup in Koper, Slovenia, 'World Cat King' Tang Chia-hung attempted a new move in the horizontal bar final but suffered errors, ultimately finishing 7th with 11.266 points. Taiwan sent Lee Chih-kai, Tang Chia-hung, and Lee Yi-chen to the Koper event. Among them, Lee Yi-chen, nicknamed 'Little Ah-Shin,' won a bronze medal in the floor exercise in his international debut. Tang Chia-hung qualified for the final in 1st place with 14.100 points, but in the final, he attempted a new connection move and suffered two falls, resulting in a difficulty score of 5.600, an execution score of 5.666, and a total of 11.266. Coach Huang Po-jui told the Central News Agency that the equipment setup at this challenge cup was strange, specifically that the horizontal bar was fixed with iron plates rather than the usual steel cables connected to ground anchors. He explained that fixing the equipment with iron plates changes the rebound and the feel of the force, which makes a significant difference for top-tier athletes. Huang emphasized that this trip was planned at the beginning of the year, and they originally intended to rest after winning the Osijek, Croatia event in April to prepare for the Asian Championships, 'but we thought it would be good to try the new move. It's clear that this connection move is still not very stable.' The Chinese Taipei Gymnastics Association will hold the Asian Games final selection on June 6-7, but the two main players, Tang Chia-hung and Lee Chih-kai, are exempt and can fully prepare for the Asian Gymnastics Championships to be held in China in mid-June.