Zou Kai (Chinese: 邹凯; pinyin: Zōu Kǎi; born February 25, 1988, in Luzhou, Sichuan) is a five-time Olympic and five-time World champion Chinese gymnast, specializing in floor exercise and the horizontal bar.
Zou won his first three Olympic gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, resulting in a nomination for the Laureus World Sports Award for Breakthrough of the Year in 2009. He later won two additional gold medals at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
As of 2024, Zou's total of five gold medals and one bronze ties him for the record of second most most Olympic gold medals won by any Chinese athlete in Olympic history, behind Ma Long, and ties him for the record of third most medals won overall by a Chinese athlete, behind Zhang Yufei (ten medals), Wu Minxia, and Huang Xuechen (seven medals each).
Competitive career
World Championships debut
Zou made his debut at the 2006 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Aarhus, helping the Chinese Team win gold, and placing sixth at the individual floor exercise final.
At the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Zou achieved the same results, winning the team competition and again placing sixth on floor.
2006 Asian Games
Zou participated in the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, winning gold in the floor exercise and silver in the horizontal bar individual events, as well as a gold medal as part of the Chinese team.
2008 Summer Olympics
On his Olympic debut at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Zou contributed to the team's gold and also won unexpected individual gold medals on floor exercise and the horizontal bar scoring 16.050 and 16.200 respectively.
Zou was the second Chinese Olympian to receive three gold medals at a single Olympic Games, following Li Ning who first achieved the feat at the 1984 Summer Olympics, and was the most successful Chinese athlete at the Beijing Olympics, with the most gold medal wins.
2009 World Championships
During the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in London, Zou won a gold medal in the individual horizontal bar event and also won a silver medal at the floor exercise individual event.
2011 World Championships
After being left out of the Chinese Gymnastic Team at both the 2010 World Championships in Rotterdam and 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou due to weaknesses in the apparatuses he did not specialize in, Zou again won two gold and one silver medals at the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo, matching his feat back in 2009.
2012 Summer Olympics
At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Zou led the team to win gold and later successfully defended his Olympic title at the floor exercise, winning gold again, only the second to do so in the men's floor exercise following Soviet Gymnast Nikolai Andrianov who won the event in 1972 and 1976. He was unable to defend his title in the horizontal bar however, finishing less than two tenths of a point behind the lead, eventually winning a bronze medal in the event. The last gymnast to successfully defend his Olympic title on the high bar was Mitsuo Tsukahara, who won the event in 1972 and 1976, at the same Olympics as Andrianov.
With a total of five Olympic gold medals, Zou holds the record for most golds won by any Chinese athlete in Olympic history, and by adding a bronze medal to the tally, he tied the record for most medals overall, with six.
2014 Asian Games
Zou participated in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, winning gold in both the floor exercise and horizontal bar individual events, as well as a bronze medal as part of the Chinese team.
Charitable work
Zou, a Sichuan native, auctioned off one of his Olympic gold medals in 2008, donating all proceeds to fund relief efforts in the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Out of the three gold medals he'd earned at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he chose the medal won for his floor exercise routine for its special significance since only two other Chinese gymnasts had ever won it, Li Ning and Li Xiaoshuang.
See also
- China at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- China at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- List of Olympic medalists in gymnastics (men)
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games
References
- "Zou Kai imperious as Brits crash pommel podium". Archived from the original on 2012-08-06. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
- "Zonderland flies away with horizontal bar gold". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2015-11-26. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
- Zou Kai Bio Archived 2012-10-24 at the Wayback Machine Gymnastike.org
- "China's Zou captures floor gold" Reuters, August 17, 2008
- Zonderland wins horizontal bar gold; USA fails to medal Fox News Channel
- ""Chen Yibing, Zou Kai exclusive visit to Hong Kong (29-8-2008)"". YouTube. 29 August 2008. Archived from the original on 2014-05-18. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
External links
- Zou Kai at the International Gymnastics Federation
- Zou Kai at London2012.com at the Wayback Machine (archived 2012-10-31)
| Olympic Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Men's Team All-Around | |
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2008  China (CHN): Chen Yibing, Huang Xu, Li Xiaopeng, Xiao Qin, Yang Wei, Zou Kai2012 China (CHN): Chen Yibing, Feng Zhe, Guo Weiyang, Zhang Chenglong, Zou Kai |
| Olympic Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Men's Floor Exercise | |
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| Olympic Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Men's Horizontal Bar | |
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| World Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Men's Team Competition | |
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2006:  China (CHN), Chen Yibing, Feng Jing, Liang Fuliang, Xiao Qin, Yang Wei, Zou Kai2007: China (CHN), Chen Yibing, Huang Xu, Liang Fuliang, Xiao Qin, Yang Wei, Zou Kai2011: China (CHN), Chen Yibing, Feng Zhe, Teng Haibin, Yan Mingyong, Zhang Chenglong, Zou Kai |
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| Asian Games Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Men's Floor | |
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| Asian Games Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Men's Horizontal Bar | |
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- 1988 births
- Living people
- Chinese male artistic gymnasts
- Gymnasts at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Gymnasts at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
- Olympic gold medalists for China
- Olympic gymnasts for China
- People from Luzhou
- Olympic medalists in gymnastics
- Olympic bronze medalists for China
- Gymnasts from Sichuan
- Chinese philanthropists
- Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Asian Games medalists in gymnastics
- Gymnasts at the 2006 Asian Games
- Gymnasts at the 2014 Asian Games
- Asian Games gold medalists for China
- Asian Games silver medalists for China
- Asian Games bronze medalists for China
- Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games
- Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games