OLYMPICS/Aug. 5 recap: Gymnast Tang Chia-hung wins Olympic bronze

Taipei, Aug. 6 (CNA) Taiwan secured its fourth medal at the Paris Olympics on Monday when gymnast Tang Chia-hung (唐嘉鴻) won bronze in the horizontal bar despite falling to the ground during his routine.

Tang, the first Taiwanese ever to win a medal in the event, finished tied for third with Zhang Boheng (張博恆) of China with a score of 13.966, after Zhang blew his dismount on a day when only two of the eight finalists completed clean routines.

Tang, one of the favorites in the event, was the first to perform in the finals and thought he had lost any chance at a medal after falling while trying a risky move called a Cassina.

"When I fell, I thought, 'Oops, I'm done,' but I managed to refocus. I wanted to finish the routine and let the world see that Taiwan has such great athletes," Tang said after completing his second Games.

He was saved, however, when every competitor that followed, other than goal medalist Shinosuke Oka of Japan and silver medalist Angel Barajas of Colombia, made major mistakes during their performances, as though the bar or landing mat was somehow jinxed.

Zhang, who had the top score on the horizontal bar in the qualifying round, was not immune, blowing his dismount to end up in a tie with Tang.

Tang's bronze was Taiwan's second Olympic medal in artistic gymnastics, following Lee Chih-kai's (李智凱) silver in the pommel horse event in Tokyo three years ago.

The Taiwanese said Paris was not the end of his journey, as he will continue striving for Olympic gold. "Absolutely, I will keep going."

Meanwhile, in table tennis, the men's team advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Team Egypt 3-0 and will face Japan on Tuesday.

Also on Monday, Peng Ming-yang (彭名揚) did not finish the men's 400 meters hurdles heat in his Olympic debut due to a torn tendon in his knee.

Peng said he sustained the injury during practice in Paris.

"Fortunately, it was only a 50 percent tear, not a complete tear ... So, after discussing with the team, I decided to compete to experience the atmosphere of the Games," he said.

Yang Chun-han (楊俊瀚) failed to secure a semifinal berth in his men's 200 meter heat, finishing sixth with a time of 20.83 seconds. He could still qualify for the semifinals if he performs better in the repechage round on Tuesday.