Liu Yang secured China's first gymnastics gold medal of the Paris Olympics on Sunday after he led all the way to win the men's rings event.

Gold medalist Liu Yang (C) of China, silver medalist Zou Jingyuan (L) of China and bronze medalist Eleftherios Petrouinas of Greece attend the victory ceremony of men's rings of artistic gymnastics at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Aug. 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

The defending champion scored 15.300 points to lead a 1-2 finish for China in the event, with his compatriot Zou Jingyuan taking silver with 15.233. They were ahead of Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Eleftherios Petrounias of Greece, who posted 15.100.

"I am in good condition today. I was able to compete at my best," said Liu. "Another thing is that I'm a very organized person. I make plans and execute them, so I followed the schedule I made for myself the last few days. That helped me to recover from the result of the team final to take a gold here."

Liu, the reigning world champion, became the third man to win two straight gold medals on rings. This was also the third time China finished with top two spots in the event.

Samir Ait Said, the only male athlete representing host nation France in artistic gymnastics, finished fourth with 15.000, which energized the crowd in Bercy Arena, waving the French flags and giving loud cheers for him. 

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