Reese Esponda’s Coach on Her Floor Change

FIG blundered making this decision. It’s wrong. AND it was made just days before World Championships.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Brody Malone previews H Bar at Worlds Rotterdam

He feels Fusuke Maeda will win IF he can hit his crazy difficult routine.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Men’s Podium Training Rotterdam

6 subdivisions.

Kensley posted a LIVE BLOG.

In 2026, men are doing more in Podium training than in the past, I believe.

Still, only a small percentage are going 100% on full routines. Nobody wants to win warm-ups.

Here’s an up-to-date list of all competitors.

My biggest takeaway is the JAPAN WILL WIN TEAM. So much difficulty. So well prepared to hit routines.

The big 5 teams are Japan, GBR, China, USA, Russia.

China will likely finish 2nd, but they didn’t look nearly as good as Japan in podium training. HOWEVER, China often takes it very easy in Podium and even the qualification round, saving their best for when medals are on the line.

  • Jordan Carroll, Canada, looking good & confident on Pommels. CAN is without William Émard this time.
  • Rhys McClenaghan looks very serious. He’s changed up his Pommel routine since Europeans, striving for a 9.3 E-score.
  • Count on Eleftherios Petrounias, now age-35, to qualify to the Rings final.
  • only 3 Russian male gymnasts got visas in time for Podium. Kensley interviewed them.
  • Ukraine and Putin’s dictatorship are both in the 2nd sub-rotation
  • Scott Bregman announced Gymnastipedia, an online tool for evaluating WAG routines
  • could Colombia qualify top 8 for the Team Final? Ángel Barajas looks fantastic on H Bar. They did more full routines than most teams.
  • Subdivision 4 of 6 is fantastic. JPN, GBR, USA, Australia, Kovtun.
  • new Senior Danila Leykin at least twice connected Pegan to Koman on H Bar
  • GBR insane difficulty on Floor. The top team on that apparatus.
  • Kam Nelson (from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho) is making tumbling look easy. Triple tuck – no problem. He did an even better Triple Pike.
  • Jake looked good. We haven’t seen him much this year.

Read International Gymnast magazine – Subdivisions 5 and 6: Men’s podium training wraps up in Rotterdam

Read World Gymnastics – Notes, quotes and anecdotes: World Championships Men’s Podium Training edition

Netherlands denying Russian visas

International Gymnast magazine:

Reigning World all-around champion Angelina Melnikova, Tokyo Olympic team champion Victoriia Listunova, and 2026 European all-around silver medalist Anna Kalmykova are to miss the 2026 World Championships in Rotterdam, October 17-25, after being denied visas, the Russian Gymnastics Federation announced today.  ….

Breaking News: Russia’s Melnikova, Listunova and Kalmykova denied visas for World Championships

As I post, Daniel Marinov, Arsenii Dukhno, Sergei Naidin, Ilya Zaika and Saveli Syedin are approved for the Men.

Only 3 were able to make it to Rotterdam in time for Podium Training.

Alena Glotova, Lyudmila Roshchina, Milana Kayumova and Elizaveta Us have been approved for the women.

Hopefully there will be more last minute approvals.

Personally, I would have voted to continue the ban on Putin’s dictatorship until he ends the war. Recall they were already sanctioned for systematic doping even before Putin invaded Ukraine.

BUT — since World Gymnastics approved them, they should be at World Championships.

World Gymnastics should not host any event in Netherlands nor Indonesia (denying Israeli athletes in 2025) for many years to come.

I fear for Olympics 2028. What nations will Trump ban after a bad golf game?

NOW … if you want to discuss banning nations other than Russia, I’d like to participate. Personally I would ask how many children were killed by a nation’s armed forces when deciding on those bans.

Statement from the Local Organising Committee of the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam has taken note of the announcement by the Russian Gymnastics Federation that three visa applications from members of the Russian delegation have been refused.

The assessment of visa applications and the decisions on whether to grant or refuse them are the sole responsibility of the relevant Dutch authorities. The LOC has no role in this decision-making process and is not involved in the assessment of individual visa applications.

As LOC, we have made every effort within our capacity to support and facilitate the participation of athletes and delegations. We respect the decisions made by the Dutch authorities.

Our position remains unchanged: all athletes eligible to compete under World Gymnastics regulations are welcome in Rotterdam, in accordance with applicable Dutch and European laws and regulations.

World Gymnastics media statement regarding the refusal of visas to three Russian athletes set to participate at the 2026 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam.
Lausanne (SUI), 14 October 2026 – The issuance of visas to all participants is a process determined solely by the Dutch authorities. World Gymnastics is not in a position to explain why a select number of application requests have been refused. World Gymnastics remains in ongoing dialogue with the Dutch authorities, the Local Organising Committee, and the Russian Gymnastics Federation.
World Gymnastics fully regrets the negative impact on the preparations of the Russian delegation and the confusion felt among the wider Artistic Gymnastics World Championships community.






Bars contenders at ’26 Worlds Rotterdam

Not ALL gymnasts in this video will be at Worlds. As I post, Angelina Melnikova and Viktoria Listunova were denied visas to Netherlands, for example.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

GymCastic – 2026 Worlds Preview Part 2

Assuming Melnikova and the rest of Putin’s team get visas for Netherlands.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Interview – Syque Caesar – USA Head Coach – 2026 Worlds

Alternate Yul Moldauer is doing all the preparation competitions with the team.

So far, so good.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

World Championships 2026 Rotterdam

I’ve arrived Rotterdam.

Posting major summaries here. Tweeting @GymCoaching.