Zunyi: Taiwan's Lee Chih-kai ended a two-year medal drought in international competition with a bronze in the pommel horse final at the Asian Men's Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Zunyi, China, on Saturday. The 30-year-old athlete, known in Taiwan as the "pommel horse prince," scored 14.133 points to secure his first career pommel horse medal at the Asian Championships. Uzbekistan's Utkirbek Juraev claimed gold, while China's Zhang Boheng took silver. According to Focus Taiwan, Lee expressed his emotions over winning his first single-event medal at the Asian Championships in the event with which he is most closely associated. This marked Lee's fifth appearance at the Asian Championships, with previous medals earned in 2019, including a gold in the individual all-around and a bronze in the team all-around. Lee made history at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by securing Taiwan's first-ever Olympic gymnastics medal with a silver in the pommel horse. He later won a second consecutive Asian Games gold in the event at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. Despite failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics and facing injuries, Lee remained resilient. Changes to the international scoring code for the 2025-2028 cycle have limited the use of the Thomas Flair, a signature move of his. Reflecting on the two-year gap between medals, Lee recalled overcoming a difficult period in 2015 and 2016. "I didn't give up then," he said, emphasizing his commitment to training and problem-solving, which led to his breakthrough at the 2017 Taipei Universiade. Facing similar challenges now, Lee has continued to persevere, learning from his experiences to return to the podium. Lee noted that the past two years allowed him to adapt to the new scoring system. Despite restrictions on the Thomas Flair, he stated, "they cannot limit my motivation to win medals." He expressed satisfaction with Taiwan's fifth-place finish in the team competition, securing a berth at the World Championships in October. Lee and Olympic bronze medalist Tang Chia-hung have t aken on mentoring roles for younger national team members. Lee's coach, Lin Yu-hsin, shared his delight at seeing Lee return to the podium after setbacks. Lin believes this medal will boost Lee's confidence as he targets a third Asian Games pommel horse gold at the Nagoya Asian Games in the coming fall, with further aspirations for the World Championships and the Los Angeles Olympics.