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PARIS — China’s Zou Jingyouan handily beat his rivals to retain the Olympic parallel bars title on Monday, picking up his third medal of the Paris Games and giving his country a second gold in gymnastics.

The 26-year-old, nicknamed ‘king of parallel bars’ for his dominance on the apparatus, earned a staggering 16.200 points, head and shoulders above the rest.

“I’m super excited for this result, because coming to these Olympics, I had injuries,” he said. “I didn’t really practice that much. But I went through my routine over and over again in my head, so many times.

“I had pain in my body, but coming here and seeing all the crowd supporting us has helped me a lot. It made me feel better.”

Illia Kovtun took silver with 15.500, earning Ukraine their first podium finish in the sport in Paris. Japan’s Shinnosuke Oka, who won gold in the team and all-around events, took the bronze with 15.300.

Zou maintained poise, precision and momentum throughout his performance and drew deafening cheers from the crowd as he executed a straddle front somersault.

As he continued his masterful routine, Zou kept his arms and legs fully extended and steady as a rock and he was applauded by Kovtun every time he nailed a difficult move.

After sticking his dismount, the three-time parallel bars world champion pumped his arms in the air, smiling broadly and embracing his teammate Zhang Boheng, who came in fourth.

Kovtun, who will walk away from Paris with Ukraine’s only medal in the sport, expressed disbelief and joy at his second-place finish.

“I am very, very happy,” the 20-year-old said. “It was my last chance to win a medal and I got it.

“I didn’t expect this to happen. I still haven’t realized what I have achieved. I’m very proud of myself and being able to win this medal for my country, Ukraine.”

Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko congratulated the gymnast on X, writing: “Another addition to the Ukrainian Olympic treasury! … Thank you for your skill and craft! We wish you new victories.”

–Japan’s Shinnosuke Oka won his third gold medal of the Paris Games on Monday with a powerful and precise routine on horizontal bar in a final riddled with mistakes.

Colombian teenager Angel Barajas took silver and Taiwan’s Tang Chia-hung and China’s Zhang Boheng shared bronze despite botched performances.

Oka, brimming with confidence after he won gold in the team and all-around events as well as a bronze on the parallel bars earlier in the day, stuck his landing for a score of 14.533.

While 17-year-old Barajas equalled his mark, Oka remained ahead of him due to his higher execution score.

More than half of the field came off the apparatus mid routine or suffered falls and stumbles on dismount in what was a messy conclusion to the men’s artistic gymnastics in Paris.

–Reuters, Special to Field Level Media