Chinese trampolinist Gao Lei claimed a historic fourth straight men's trampoline title at the FIG Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships in Tokyo on Sunday.

Gao Lei defended his title with a high difficulty routine scoring 61.705 points, edging out Belarusian 18-year-old starlet Ivan Litvinovich by 0.185 points.

The 27-year-old Rio Olympic bronze medalist topped the podium in the event at the 2015, 2017 and 2018 World Championships.

This new triumph marked Gao's name as the first man in history to win four men's trampoline world titles in succession.

His next goal is the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. He will return to the same venue where he and his teammate Dong Dong – the bronze medalist here – secured Olympic spots for China. The hosts Japan, France, Russia, and Belarus also claimed Tokyo 2020 qualification in the Ariake Gymnastics Centre.

"When I climb on a trampoline I feel very calm. I didn't used to but now I feel very confident," the record-holder said.

China also pocketed a bronze medal in the team all-around final with a total of 24 points. Russia and the United States pocketed gold and silver, respectively.

Both Russia and the hosts Japan swept four golds as the competition concluded Sunday.