Piston ring for a piston of a reciprocating internal combustion engine comprising a ring section and a lock section, the lock section comprising a male locking end and a female locking end, the ring section having an height in axial direction and maximal width in radial direction, wherein the male locking end comprises a tongue and the female locking end comprising a recess, such that the tongue is insertable into the recess, the tongue having a maximal width in radial direction which is smaller than the maximal width of the ring section and a height in axial direction which is smaller than the height of the ring section, the tongue having a radially inwardly facing sliding surface spanned by the a circumferential length of the tongue and the height of the tongue, and the tongue having an axial sliding surface spanned by the circumferential length and the radial width, the recess being opened towards the outside of the piston ring and being arranged between a first shank and a second shank, the first shank having a width in radial direction being smaller than the width of the ring section and providing a radially outwardly facing guiding surface being correspondent to the inwardly facing sliding surface of the tongue, the second shank having a height in axial direction being smaller than the height of the ring section and providing a axial guiding surface being correspondent to the axial sliding surface of the tongue, wherein the maximal width of the ring section is smaller than the sum of a maximal width of at least a circumferentially extending part of the tongue and a maximal width of at least a first circumferentially extending part of the first shank, characterised in that - when assembled in a respective groove of the piston said circumferentially extending part of the tongue and said first circumferentially extending part of the first shank overlap to form a bridge section wherein the total maximum radial width is larger than the maximal width of the ring section when the first shank is pressed to the tongue. ring section and a lock section, the lock section comprising a male locking end and a female locking end, the ring section having an height in axial direction and maximal width in radial direction, wherein the male locking end comprises a tongue and the female locking end comprising a recess, such that the tongue is insertable into the recess, the tongue having a maximal width in radial direction which is smaller than the maximal width of the ring section and a height in axial direction which is smaller than the height of the ring section, the tongue having a radially inwardly facing sliding surface spanned by the a circumferential length of the tongue and the height of the tongue, and the tongue having an axial sliding surface spanned by the circumferential length and the radial width, the recess being opened towards the outside of the piston ring and being arranged between a first shank and a second shank, the first shank having a width in radial direction being smaller than the width of the ring section and providing a radially outwardly facing guiding surface being correspondent to the inwardly facing sliding surface of the tongue, the second shank having a height in axial direction being smaller than the height of the ring section and providing a axial guiding surface being correspondent to the axial sliding surface of the tongue, wherein the maximal width of the ring section is smaller than the sum of a maximal width of at least a circumferentially extending part of the tongue and a maximal width of at least a first circumferentially extending part of the first shank, characterised in that - when assembled in a respective groove of the piston said circumferentially extending part of the tongue and said first circumferentially extending part of the first shank overlap to form a bridge section wherein the total maximum radial width is larger than the maximal width of the ring section when the first shank is pressed to the tongue.