Olympic berths awarded as final champions crowned at 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
ANTWERP, Belgium – Saturday and Sunday at the Sportpaleis gave way to ten compelling event finals at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
Keep reading for a recap of each of the men’s and women’s event finals. For a detailed play-by-play of event finals, check out our live blog here.
Men’s floor exercise
- Artem Dolgopyat (ISR) – 14.866
- Minami Kazuki (JPN) – 14.666
- Milad Karimi (KAZ) – 14.600
- Carlos Yulo (PHI) 14.500
- Felix Dolci (CAN) – 14.400
- Harry Hepworth (GBR) – 14.333
- Hashimoto Daiki (JPN) – 14.233
- Fred Richard (USA) – 13.200
Minami Kazuki (JPN) showed an impressive set to start the final, achieving a 6.5 difficulty score with a set that was highlighted by a stuck opening 2.5 twisting double tuck to front full, triple-double, and front triple twist (14.666).
Carlos Yulo (PHI) rebounded from an overall rough qualifying to earn a 14.500 after Minami, but he would ultimately be edged by two others to miss the podium. All was not lost though, as he qualified to the Paris Olympics by competing in the final as the only eligible gymnast for the one berth up for grabs.
Reigning Olympic floor champion Artem Dolgopyat (ISR) minimized landing deductions while rivaling Minami with a 6.4 difficulty set, ultimately earning a 14.866 that would not be surpassed. The highlights were his opening laid-out double-double, followed by a front full to front double pike, and ending with a double Arabian half out dismount.
Milad Karimi (KAZ) edged Yulo for the bronze with an opening Randi, front full to front double pike, stuck 2.5 twist to double front, and plenty more difficulty, closing with a stuck triple twist to earn a 14.600.
When asked whether he would do the all-around next summer in Paris, Dolgopyat – who qualified to the Olympics during worlds qualifying – said, “I don’t know for now, but I think I will focus more on the floor, maybe do just one or two more apparatus.”
Minami, who has developed a reputation as an innovator on floor in recent years, was not satisfied with his silver.
“I am not very happy,” Minami said. “We can say that I am 80% downhearted and 20% joyful… My goal was to get a gold so the fact that this is a silver is making me a little bit frustrated.”
Dolgopyat’s win was historic, marking the first gold medal for Israel at a world championships. Karimi’s bronze was also the first medal for Kazakhstan since 1997.
Women’s vault
- Rebeca Andrade (BRA) – 14.750 average
- Simone Biles (USA) – 14.549
- Yeo Seojeong (KOR) – 14.416
- Alexa Moreno (MEX) – 14.166
- Ellie Black (CAN) – 13.933
- Miyata Shoko (JPN) – 13.899
- Leanne Wong (USA) – 13.466
- Csenge Maria Bacskay (HUN) 13.266
- Coline Devillard (FRA) – 13.183
Simone Biles (USA) was up first but had too much power on her Yurchenko double pike (now the Biles II on the apparatus, after landing it during qualifications), rolling to her back to earn a 14.433 with the neutral deduction for having her coach, Laurent Landi, on the podium (-0.5). She followed with a 14.666 for her Cheng to average a 14.549, which would remain in first until the last competitor.
“Better over[-rotated] than under,” Biles said of her namesake skill after. “I am not mad about that at all. I think it was nice that we got on the international scene and we got to go back-to-back with those vaults. I just had a little too much power. Everybody was upset, but I wasn’t mad at all; I don’t care if I end up off the podium as long as I am here.”
Yeo Seojeong (KOR) was potentially going for her own namesake skill – the Yeo, a front handspring double twist – but opted for a half twist less, aka the Rudi, instead to earn a 14.600. Her double-twisting Yurchenko was impeccable to earn a 14.233 and average a 14.416.
Reigning Olympic vault champion Rebeca Andrade (BRA) was up last and showed a phenomenal, nearly stuck Cheng to go 15.000. A 14.500 for her own double-twisting Yurchenko gave her a 14.750 average, meaning she edged Biles to win her second world vault title.
“I’m very happy with another gold medal for Brazil,” Andrade said after. “I didn’t expect this. Of course in my head I always want to win, but the principle goal is to do my thing. I don’t know if I can believe it, but it was something that I really wanted.”
“I didn’t expect Simone to fall, so I feel sad for her because I know how much we train for this,” Andrade added.
That being said, don’t expect the Brazilian to attempt the Biles II anytime soon.
“No, it’s too crazy, I will not try it!” Andrade concluded.
For Biles, it was her sixth world vault medal and third silver. With the bronze, Yeo won her first world medal and is now the reigning world and Olympic bronze medalist.
Note: Before the vault final, Joscelyn Roberson (USA) pulled out and was replaced by first reserve Ellie Black (CAN). Jessica Gadirova (GBR) withdrew next, and as the next highest qualifier (and no longer two-per-countried due to Roberson’s withdrawal), Leanne Wong was expected to replace Gadirova. Instead, the FIG announced the original second reserve, Csenge Maria Bacskay (HUN), would sub in. Why the FIG subbed in Bacskay instead of Wong is unknown, as the rules indicate this would not be the case, but USA Gymnastics appealed the FIG’s decision and won, meaning Wong was allowed to compete in the final as well, bringing the total to nine athletes. The decision by the FIG was not a meaningless one – Bacskay was ultimately awarded an Olympic berth to Paris over her teammate, Zoja Szekely, as a result. Prior to Bacskay being added to the final, Szekely was set to receive the Olympic berth.
Men’s pommel horse
- Rhys McClenaghan (IRL) – 15.100
- Khoi Young (USA) – 14.966
- Ahmad Abu Al Soud (JOR) – 14.633
- Harutyun Merdinyan (ARM) – 14.600
- Max Whitlock (GBR) – 14.300
- Chiba Kenta (JPN) – 14.200
- Nils Dunkel (GER) – 13.766
- Lee Chih Kai (TPE) – 13.500
The pommel horse final was stacked with Olympic and world medalists, with nearly all of the world’s best workers competing. Unfortunately, it started with two falls – first from Lee Chih Kai (TPE) and then from reigning Olympic champion Max Whitlock (GBR), who was the top qualifier.
Third time was the charm, though, as Team USA’s Khoi Young, who qualified second behind Whitlock, showed grit and rebounded from a fall in the team final to earn a 14.966.
“During team final I fell on horse, so today I really wanted to prove to myself and the team that I can be trusted in high pressure situations,” Young said. “I think that’s what I really proved today.”
The all-arounder displayed a 6.6-difficulty set that included a Busnari, excellent flair work, and a smooth tempo that, beyond Antwerp, will go far in building his stock for Paris, as his success has shown the U.S. might not need a specialist on their Olympic team to have more medal potential.
“It really proved to me that I’ve just got to stick with the training and produce good results,” Young said of his eventual silver medal. “Just knowing how close I was to that gold is going to push me very hard to one day get up there.”
2022 world silver medalist Ahmad Abu Al Soud (JOR) opened with a Mikulak to start and was swinging well until a form break on his Sohn. He pulled the unique set back together quickly and was able to slot in behind Young with a 14.633.
“I caught an element on one hand,” Abu Al Soud said. “I did the same mistake in qualification. I tried to work on it [in training], but it happened again… It is what it is.”
Last up, and fittingly so, was defending world champion Rhys McClenaghan (IRL). His trademark scissor to handstand had the crowd mesmerized before he settled into his set, flowing through difficult skill after difficult skill with excellent elevation of the horse and open hips. The resulting 15.100 was 0.134 enough to earn him the moniker of back-to-back world champion. More importantly, with the win, he punched his ticket to the Paris Games.
“I feel good,” McClenaghan said. “I feel like the preparation for this competition has paid off. Two-time world champion, but what I am most relieved for is to be qualified for the Olympics.”
Abu Al Soud was on the losing end of the Olympic qualifying battle, meaning he has to switch his focus to the world cups next year in his continued pursuit to become an Olympian.
“I am not feeling really good,” Abu Al Soud said. “I know I can do better. I was going for the gold for the Olympics, but it’s fine. I will fight for it next year in the world cups. Going to Paris is a dream. I know I can win the gold, but it’s pommel horse, it does not always work as you like. But it’s fine, we will work on it.”
Women’s uneven bars
- Qiu Qiyuan (CHN) – 15.100
- Kaylia Nemour (ALG) – 15.033
- Shilese Jones (USA) – 14.766
- Huang Zhuofan (CHN) – 14.766
- Simone Biles (USA) – 14.200
- Sanna Veerman (NED) – 14.200
- Naomi Visser (NED) – 14.166
- Elsabeth Black (CAN) – 13.800
- Lorette Charpy (FRA) – 12.933
The uneven bars final was front-loaded, with Shilese Jones (USA) and Kaylia Nemour (ALG) the first two up.
Jones showed a floaty set with difficult stalder work and superb handstands, some of the best in the world, en route to a 14.766 – an intimidating mark for the next seven gymnast to have to top.
But if anyone has shown grit this year it’s Kaylia Nemour (ALG), who just months ago didn’t know if she’d be in Antwerp and has now qualified to the Olympics via all-around qualifying at worlds.
Nemour’s set was stunning, starting with her namesake skill – an inbar laid-out Tkatchev. She didn’t connect it to the Pak salto, but she connected everything after before dismounting with an inbar 1/1 to double layout. The 15.033 seemed nearly unbeatable, but one gymnast was up to the task.
In the second half of the final, Qiu Qiyuan (CHN) whipped out her nation’s trademark pirouettes before a breathtaking laid-out Jaeger – arguably the best in the world. She didn’t even have to connect everything to go 15.100 and jump ahead of Nemour.
“I was planning to try the 6.7 uneven bars routine yesterday in the all-around final, but I didn’t link all the skills,” Qiu said. “But today, I would say I have saved the best one for the final… I will give myself an 8-out-of-10 for my performance today. I had little mistakes here and there, so I know I could have done better. Of course, I did my best [for today] and won the gold. I am super happy.”
Also in the final was Simone Biles (USA), who finished fifth with her technically-sound set (14.200). Not a bars worker per se, it’s a marvel that Biles’ “weakest” event still has her knocking on the door of the podium. (Fun fact: She does have a world silver medal on the event from 2018!)
Men’s still rings
- Liu Yang (CHN) – 15.233
- Eleftherios Petrounias (GRE) – 15.066
- You Hao (CHN) – 14.833
- Vahagn Davtyan (ARM) – 14.700
- Nikita Simonov (AZE) – 14.666
- Vinzenz Hoeck (AUT) – 14.566
- Artur Avetisyan (ARM) – 14.433
- Harry Hepworth (GBR) – 14.100
There weren’t any surprises on the still rings podium, with the top three qualifiers finishing in the same position: China’s Liu Yang with the gold, Greece’s Eleftherios Petrounias with the silver, and China’s You Hao with the bronze.
The podium also (almost) mirrored that of the Tokyo Olympics, where Liu won, You was second, and Petrounias was third.
The three have an immense amount of respect as each other, as they continue to push one another after many showdowns over the years. After the final, Petrounias and Liu were seen hugging and showeringeach other with praise.
“There are several gymnasts from around the world who are good on rings,” Petrounias said. “Liu Yang is so good it makes me want to try more and beat him.”
Liu’s second world title comes nine years after his first in Nanning in 2014.
“Nine years ago, I was quite self-righteous I would say,” Liu said. “I was full of confidence in myself. After all these years, I enjoy performing at [the] world level and fighting for excellence a lot more.”
As the top eligible athlete in the final, Petrounias also booked his ticket to Paris.
“This [will] be my third Olympic Games,” Petrounias said. “The first one came immediately. I was young and my energy was super. I qualified for my second Games 17 days before the start of the Tokyo Olympics, so it was really rough. I have worked really hard to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games and be ready for Paris, because I wasn’t ready for Tokyo.”
Men’s vault
- Jake Jarman (GBR) – 15.050 average
- Khoi Young (USA) – 14.849
- Nazar Chepurnyi (UKR) – 14.766
- Igor Radivilov (UKR) – 14.750
- Paul Juda (USA) – 14.550
- Artur Davtyan (ARM) – 14.549
- Harry Hepworth (GBR) – 14.433
- Kevin Penev (BUL) – 14.183
Khoi Young (USA) started things off in a big way, sticking both his front handspring Randi (15.033) and his Yurchenko half-on, double twist off (14.666) to average a 14.849.
Young’s teammate Paul Juda followed with a good Yurchenko double pike but not his best as the pike was a bit open in the air, resulting in a slightly under-rotated landing and a big step forward over the line to earn a 14.600. His Kas 1.5 was tidy to go 14.500 and ultimately average a 14.550.
Kevin Penev (BUL) finished eighth in the final with two clean but lower-difficulty vaults, but the most important thing was him raising his hand and participating because, as the only eligible athlete in the final, he booked his ticket to Paris.
There was little doubt that Jake Jarman (GBR) would be on the podium when he whipped out a Kas 2.5 (3.5 twists) with just a hop to earn a massive 15.400. His Dragulescu was clean as well, with just a step back, earning a 14.700 to average a 15.050.
A couple vaulters later, reigning world vault champion and Tokyo bronze medalist Artur Davtyan (ARM) was up. Unfortunately, he didn’t get any distance on his Dragulescu (double front half) and landed short, running under the table and off the podium and effectively ending his chance at repeating with a 13.966. He stuck his following front handspring Randi to earn a big 15.133 and show the crowd that he will continue to be a force heading into 2024.
Vault maven Igor Radivilov (UKR) laid down a strong Dragulescu and Tsuk double pike, but it was his fellow countryman, Nazar Chepurnyi, in the final spot that put Ukraine on the podium. Chepurnyi displayed a stuck Dragulescu to earn a 14.833 and then a difficult Kas double (14.700) to average a 14.766 and secure the bronze.
After being the second-to-last qualifier into the final, Jarman ultimately won his first individual world medal with the gold.
“I couldn’t be happier with how today went,” Jarman said. “I was super nervous going in to this competition. I don’t know why. I kept telling myself, ‘Just enjoy it, just enjoy it, anything can happen,’ but I still got nervous. To be able to hold my nerve and be able to produce the vaults I did, I’m super proud.”
Young finished his first world championships with three medals (team bronze, pommel horse silver, vault silver) while Chepurnyi won his first world medal.
“Of course I am happy about my performance, but this is the worst time in my life,” Chepurnyi said, referring to the ongoing war in Ukraine. “Despite the circumstances, I have won a medal, so I am very happy about that.”
Chepurnyi dedicated the medal to his country: “To the people of Ukraine, to the soldiers and to everyone who is fighting on the front line.”
Women’s balance beam
- Simone Biles (USA) – 14.800
- Zhou Yaqin (CHN) – 14.700
- Rebeca Andrade (BRA) – 14.300
- Sanne Wevers (NED) – 14.100
- Ashikawa Urara (JPN) – 14.066
- Zhang Qingying (CHN) – 13.100
- Shilese Jones (USA) – 12.933
- Pauline Schaefer-Betz (GER) – 12.800
Another stacked final, world and Olympic champions fought for the balance beam title in Antwerp.
2021 world champion Ashikawa Urara (JPN) was first up, hitting a seemingly flawless set to earn a 14.066. 2017 world champion Pauline Schaefer-Betz (GER) followed but slipped on her switch ring and fell onto the beam. Zhang Qingying (CHN) also fell on her switch ring.
Simone Biles (USA) found fortune with the beam, connecting her switch leap mount to a switch half to back pike and efficiently navigating her 6.5-difficulty set before dismounting with a full-twisting double back and just a tiny hop – the most obvious error of the routine.
Biles’ 14.800 would be hard to beat, but if anyone could rival it, it would be China’s Zhou Yaqin. And rival it she did, floating through a front handspring to front tuck straight into leaps as though she was on the floor. Her triple twist dismount was phenomenal, and the effort ultimately earned her a 14.700 to move into second.
2016 Olympic champion Sanne Wevers (NED) seemed primed for the bronze when she earned a 14.100 – and as the first reserve no less, replacing Jessica Gadirova (GBR) – but Rebeca Andrade (BRA) dashed those hopes with a tenth higher difficulty and a tenth higher execution to earn a 14.300.
Also in the final was Biles’ teammate Shilese Jones (USA), who under-rotated and ultimately fell on her double pike dismount after an excellent set that included her trademark standing Arabian.
The win for Biles marked her fourth world beam title and sixth world beam medal (in six world championships appearances). The silver was Zhou’s first world medal, and with the bronze, Andrade won her first world beam medal.
Men’s parallel bars
- Lukas Dauser (GER) – 15.400
- Shi Cong (CHN) – 15.066
- Kaito Sugimoto (JPN) – 15.000
- Kaya Kazuma (JPN) – 14.733
- Illia Kovtun (UKR) – 14.633
- Asher Hong (USA) – 14.466
- Matteo Levantesi (ITA) – 13.866
- Yul Moldauer (USA) – 13.133
Lukas Dauser finally ascended to the top of the podium in the men’s parallel bars final after going 15+ on his signature event in qualifying, the team final, the all-around final, and finally, the event final, where he earned a 15.400 for a set including a showstopping Makuts and stuck double front half.
Before Antwerp, Dauser was seemingly perpetually a silver medalist, finishing second at the Tokyo Games and at the 2022 world championships – both behind Zou Jingyuan, who was not sent to this year’s worlds and instead competed at the Asian Games.
“The men’s team had a super championships, and my gold is the final cherry on the cake for us,” Dauser said after. “For the women, I hope that this win will give them motivation to continue fighting. They won’t be in Paris as a team, but they still have three gymnasts competing,” Dauser said about the women not qualifying a team to the 2024 Olympics.
China’s Shi Cong was second with a 15.066 after not competing in team finals due to an ankle injury, improving on his bronze from the 2021 edition.
“I hurt my ankle during qualifications, and it felt really painful,” Shi said. “Therefore, I wasn’t there to compete in the team final. I felt sorry for the team and regretted not being able to compete with them. But I feel better now. It wasn’t that bad. Therefore, I really hoped I could compete in this final. After discussing it with my team, we decided to compete.”
Kaito Sugimoto (JPN) rounded out the podium with the bronze, although he has hopes for more.
“The aim was to win the gold, so it’s a little bit disappointing,” Sugimoto said. “I’ll save the celebrations for when I win a gold medal.”
Also in the final were Team USA’s Asher Hong and Yul Moldauer, who finished sixth and eighth, respectively.
Moldauer, who could’ve contended for the podium, was swinging well until he gave his Makuts too much power and had to take a fall. Hong had a few minor form issues but stuck his double front half dismount to earn a 14.466.
Women’s floor exercise
- Simone Biles (USA) – 14.633
- Rebeca Andrade (BRA) – 14.500
- Flavia Saraiva (BRA) – 13.966
- Sabrina Maneca-Voinea (ROU) – 13.766
- Shilese Jones (USA) – 13.666
- Naomi Visser (NED) – 13.300
- Zhou Yaqin (CHN) – 13.300
- Alice Kinsella (GBR) – 12.666
Simone Biles (USA) won her sixth world floor title to close out the women’s competition in Antwerp, opening with a huge full-twisting double layout, showcasing one of the most difficult passes in the world with a front full through to tucked double-twisting double back, doing the Biles I (double layout half), and managing not to stumble on her leaps, like in the all-around final, before closing with a double layout. The only major blemish was when she went one-foot out of bounds on her namesake skill. The powerful set earned a 14.633 that would be neared but not topped.
“I had to prove to myself that I could still get out here and twist,” Biles said. “I could prove all the haters wrong, that I’m not a quitter. As long as I’m out there twisting again and finding the joy for gymnastics again, who cares?”
With the gold, Biles’ final haul at worlds consisted of five medals (four gold, one silver). She now owns 30 world medals, including 23 gold. She is the most decorated gymnast of all time with 37 world and Olympic medals.
“I wasn’t too worried about medal count or medal color,” Biles said about what she was hoping to win in Antwerp. “I just wanted to go out there and do my routines again. It doesn’t matter if I am going to get up on the podium or not – that wasn’t something I cared about. I just wanted to compete confidently again, putting out scores for Team USA and see what happens.”
Rebeca Andrade (BRA) improved on her bronze from last year’s world championships, winning the silver with a cleaner set than Biles (8.4 execution vs. 8.033), but her lower difficulty (6.1 vs. 6.7) kept her 0.133 off Biles’ mark.
“I’m really happy about everything that happened this year,” Andrade said. “It was a difficult competition because it took a lot mentally and physically, but I’m really honored that I could compete in all these finals and take these medals.”
Flavia Saraiva (BRA) won her first individual world medal with the bronze – triumph after years of injuries and almosts that kept her from the podium. Sabrina Maneca-Voinea (ROU) was two-tenths behind her after an impressive set earned the first-year senior a 13.766. Shilese Jones was fifth with a 13.666.
“I am feeling really happy,” Saraiva said. “A lot of times I got into the floor final, but I didn’t do my best routine and sometimes I was injured. This is my first individual world championships medal. Every time when you get a good result, you want more. I would like to say thank you to everybody in Brazil. For me it was a really nice atmosphere.”
Men’s high bar
- Hashimoto Daiki (JPN) – 15.233
- Tin Srbic (CRO) – 14.700
- Su Weide (CHN) – 14.500
- Milad Karimi (KAZ) – 14.433
- Paul Juda (USA) – 14.100
- Arthur Mariano (BRA) – 13.533
- Chiba Kenta (JPN) – 12.700
- Felix Dolci (CAN) – 11.100
The finale of the 2023 world championships did not disappoint.
Brazil’s Arthur Mariano – the 2019 world champion – was up first and looking to best Tin Srbic (CRO) as the only two athletes in the final eligible for an individual Olympic berth. Unfortunately, after flying through the first half of his routine, he fell on his laid-out Tkatchev, earning a 13.533.
The 2017 world champion and 2019 world silver medalist, Srbic has battled injuries and a changing Code of Points but finally saw it all come together, hitting his set for a 14.700 after an inquiry bumped it up by two-tenths. Before the podium was even decided, Srbic achieved one of his goals: qualifying to another Olympics.
“It feels amazing,” Srbic said. “I like silver medals, so I am really happy about one more. I collect them. I think it shows how much I worked since the [Tokyo] Olympics despite all the setbacks that I had with the injury of my collarbone. That lasted for almost a year. With the new code and a new routine, it felt like I was behind everybody but this medal shows I am not.”
Paul Juda was next up, and although he didn’t have the difficulty to contend for the podium, he bested the field in execution, earning an 8.700 which, combined with his 5.4 difficulty, resulted in a 14.100 and fifth-place finish.
Hashimoto Diaki (JPN) improved on his 15.000 from qualifying to earn a 15.233 thanks to a difficult set including a Stoop half connected to a Liukin, Cassina, Kolman, and straddle Tkatchev to piked Tkatchev. He dismounted with a stuck laid-out double-double and wouldn’t be beat.
The final man up, China’s Su Weide executed superior Stoop work on top of the bar, including a Stoop 1/1 and Stoop 1/2. His Liukin was phenomenal, and he closed with a laid-out double-double of his own to win the bronze with a 14.500.
Hashimoto win marked his first world title on high bar as he became the reigning world and Olympic champion on the event. He left Belgium with three gold medals (team, all-around, high bar).
2024 Olympic quota spots from individual apparatus finals at 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
MAG
- FX: Carlos Yulo (PHI)
- PH: Rhys McClenaghan (IRL)
- SR: Eleftherios Petrounias (GRE)
- VT: Kevin Penev
- PB: Noah Kuavita (BEL)
- HB: Tin Srbic (CRO)
WAG
- VT: Csenge Maria Bacskay (HUN)
- UB: Ahtziri Sandoval (MEX)
- BB: Ana Perez (ESP)
- FX: Sarah Voss (GER)
