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{{Short description|Chinese artistic gymnast}}
{{Infobox gymnast
| name = Zou Kai
| image = Zou Kai.JPG
| image_size =
| caption = Zou Kai at the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] in [[Beijing]]
| full_name = Zou Kai
| altname =
| nickname =
| country = {{CHN}}
| formercountry =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1988|2|25}}
| birth_place = [[Luzhou]], [[Sichuan]]
| hometown =
| residence =
| height = 158 cm 
| discipline = MAG
| natlteam =
| club = China National School
| gym =
| collegeteam =
| headcoach = [[Huang Yubin]]
| assistcoach = Bai Yuanshao
| formercoach = Lin Zhaoyang, Lei Ming
| eponymousskills =
| retired =
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport| [[Artistic gymnastics]] }}
{{MedalCountry| {{CHN}} }}
{{MedalCount
| [[List of Olympic medalists in gymnastics (men)|Summer Olympics]]|5|0|1
| [[World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships]]|5|2|0
| [[Gymnastics at the Asian Games|Asian Games]]|4|1|1
| '''Total'''|'''14'''|'''3'''|'''2'''
}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Beijing]]|[[Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's artistic team all-around|Team]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Beijing]]|[[Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's floor|Floor Exercise]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Beijing]]|[[Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's horizontal bar|Horizontal Bar]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2012 Summer Olympics|2012 London]]|[[Gymnastics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's artistic team all-around|Team]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2012 Summer Olympics|2012 London]]|[[Gymnastics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's floor|Floor Exercise]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2012 Summer Olympics|2012 London]]|[[Gymnastics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's horizontal bar|Horizontal Bar]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[2006 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|2006 Aarhus]] | [[2006 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships – Men's team all-round|Team]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|2007 Stuttgart]] | [[2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships – Men's team all-round|Team]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|2009 London]] | [[2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships#Horizontal bar|Horizontal Bar]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|2011 Tokyo]] | [[2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships#Team all-around 2|Team]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|2011 Tokyo]] | [[2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships#Horizontal Bar|Horizontal Bar]]}}
{{MedalSilver | [[2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|2009 London]] | [[2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships#Floor|Floor Exercise]]}}
{{MedalSilver | [[2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|2011 Tokyo]] | [[2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships#Floor 2|Floor Exercise]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Asian Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2006 Asian Games|2006 Doha]]|[[Gymnastics at the 2006 Asian Games#Team|Team]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2006 Asian Games|2006 Doha]]|[[Gymnastics at the 2006 Asian Games#Floor exercise|Floor Exercise]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2014 Asian Games|2014 Incheon]]|[[Gymnastics at the 2014 Asian Games – Men's floor|Floor Exercise]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2014 Asian Games|2014 Incheon]]|[[Gymnastics at the 2014 Asian Games – Men's horizontal bar|Horizontal Bar]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2006 Asian Games|2006 Doha]]|[[Gymnastics at the 2006 Asian Games#Horizontal bar|Horizontal Bar]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2014 Asian Games|2014 Incheon]]|[[Gymnastics at the 2014 Asian Games – Men's artistic team|Team]]}}
}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Zou (surname)|Zou]]|lang=Chinese}}

'''Zou Kai''' ({{zh|s=邹凯|p=Zōu Kǎi}}; born February 25, 1988, in [[Luzhou]], [[Sichuan]]) is a five-time [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] and five-time [[World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World champion]] [[China|Chinese]] [[gymnastics|gymnast]], specializing in [[Floor (gymnastics)|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]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/london-games/zou-kai-imperious-as-brits-crash-pommel-podium/story-e6frgdg6-1226443859667 |title=Zou Kai imperious as Brits crash pommel podium |access-date=2012-08-06 |archive-date=2012-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806053819/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/london-games/zou-kai-imperious-as-brits-crash-pommel-podium/story-e6frgdg6-1226443859667 |url-status=live }}</ref>

As of 2024, Zou's total of five gold medals and one bronze<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oly-gymn-gamhba-idUSBRE87612R20120807 |title=Zonderland flies away with horizontal bar gold |website=[[Reuters]] |access-date=2017-07-03 |archive-date=2015-11-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126053850/http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/07/us-oly-gymn-gamhba-idUSBRE87612R20120807 |url-status=live }}</ref> ties him for the record of second [[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists|most Olympic gold medals]] won by any [[China at the Olympics|Chinese athlete]] in [[Olympic Games|Olympic history]], behind [[Ma Long]], and ties him for the record of third [[List of multiple Olympic medalists|most medals won overall]] by a Chinese athlete, behind [[Zhang Yufei (swimmer)|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.<ref>[http://www.gymnastike.org/speaker/15946-Zou-Kai Zou Kai Bio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024102048/http://www.gymnastike.org/speaker/15946-Zou-Kai |date=2012-10-24 }} Gymnastike.org</ref>

===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<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080820045014/http://olympics.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chinas_Zou_captures_floor_gold/articleshow/3373718.cms "China's Zou captures floor gold"] Reuters, August 17, 2008</ref> 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 [[China at the 2008 Summer Olympics|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 Artistic Gymnastics Championships|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 Union|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.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/sports/zonderland-wins-horizontal-bar-gold-usa-fails-to-medal/ Zonderland wins horizontal bar gold; USA fails to medal]  [[Fox News Channel]]</ref> 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 [[China at the Olympics|Chinese athlete]] in [[Olympic Games|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 [[Gymnastics at the 2014 Asian Games|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]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR4MdJx6GPI |title="Chen Yibing, Zou Kai exclusive visit to Hong Kong (29-8-2008)" |website=[[YouTube]] |date=29 August 2008 |access-date=2013-11-13 |archive-date=2014-05-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518210613/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR4MdJx6GPI |url-status=live }}</ref> 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==
{{Portal|Biography|Olympics}}
* [[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==
<!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags-->
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Zou Kai}}
* {{FIG|bio=16919|lic=82|name=Zou Kai}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031043413/http://www.london2012.com/athlete/zou-kai-1069798/ |title=Zou Kai at London2012.com}}

{{Olympic champions artistic gymnastics Men TC|2008|2012}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions Floor Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions Horizontal Bar Men}}
{{NavigationWorldChampionsArtisticGymnasticsMenTC|2006|2007|2011}}
{{NavigationWorldChampionsArtisticGymnasticsMenHorizontalBar}}
{{Asian Games Champions Gymnastics Floor Men}}
{{Asian Games Champions Gymnastics Horizontal Bar Men}}
{{NavigationAsianChampionsMAGHB}}
{{Xinhua News Agency's Top Ten Chinese Athletes of the Year}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zou, Kai}}
[[Category:1988 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Chinese male artistic gymnasts]]
[[Category:Gymnasts at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Gymnasts at the 2012 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for China]]
[[Category:Olympic gymnasts for China]]
[[Category:People from Luzhou]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in gymnastics]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for China]]
[[Category:Gymnasts from Sichuan]]
[[Category:21st-century Chinese philanthropists]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Asian Games gold medalists in gymnastics]]
[[Category:Asian Games silver medalists in gymnastics]]
[[Category:Asian Games bronze medalists in gymnastics]]
[[Category:Gymnasts at the 2006 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Gymnasts at the 2014 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Asian Games gold medalists for China]]
[[Category:Asian Games gymnasts for China]]
[[Category:Asian Games silver medalists for China]]
[[Category:Asian Games bronze medalists for China]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games]]