UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; March 19, 2007 ¨C Penn State menĄŻs gymnastics assistant coach and U.S. MenĄŻs Senior National Team member Kevin Tan won the still rings crown at the prestigious French International World Cup ¨C Paris-Bercy in Paris, France on Sunday. Competing against some of the worldĄŻs top gymnasts, Tan bested a field that included 2004 Olympic silver medalist Jordan Jovtchev, winning with a score of 16.475.
TanĄŻs victory adds another impressive accomplishment to his burgeoning international gymnastics resume. Last year, the California native captured first place in the rings at the 2006 Visa Championships in August. Then, after being named the captain of the U.S. MenĄŻs Senior National Team, Tan won a bronze medal in the still rings competition at the DTB Pokal World Cup in November.
Earlier this year, Tan became a back-to-back still rings champion at the Winter Cup, a prominent USA Gymnastics event held annually in Las Vegas.
A member of Penn State's 2004 NCAA championship team, Tan was the Nittany Lions' first back-to-back NCAA champion on the still rings, earning titles in 2003 and 2004. A six-time All-American, Tan is in his second season as an assistant on Penn State head coach Randy Jepson's staff.
During his senior year in 2004, Tan was one of the premier collegiate gymnasts in the nation, qualifying as a finalist for the Nissen-Emery Award. He was an all-conference selection, winning both the still rings and parallel bars crowns at the 2004 Big Ten Championships. His still rings title was his third-consecutive conference championship in the event. During his collegiate career, Tan never finished lower than third place on the rings at the Big Ten Championships.
