Arıcan wins Turkey's 1st-ever Olympic gymnastics medal at Tokyo 2020
Turkey's Ferhat Arıcan celebrates winning bronze in men's parallel bars at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Ariake Gymnastics Centre, Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 3, 2021. (Reuters Photo)


National athlete Ferhat Arıcan made history Tuesday by winning Turkey’s first-ever gymnastics medal at the Olympics when he clinched bronze in the men’s parallel bar event at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

At Tokyo’s Ariake Gymnastics Centre, Arıcan performed brilliantly and was awarded 15.633 points.

China's Zou Jingyuan, in the meantime, produced a stunning display to take gold.

Turkey's Ferhat Arıcan performs in men's parallel bars final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Ariake Gymnastics Centre, Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 3, 2021. (EPA Photo)
He showcased a number of complex moves while swinging up and down the bars and completely obliterated the field with a score of 16.233.

The 23-year-old, a double world champion on the bars, was also part of the Chinese team who sealed bronze last week.

Germany's Lukas Dauser, a corporal in the German army, won the silver with a distant 15.700.

Arıcan, who had struck gold on the apparatus at this year's European Championships shortly after testing positive for COVID-19, had to settle for bronze.