Category: Olympics

Russia is BACK

Without question, Russia will be contending with the top teams for the coming years — both MAG & WAG.

In fact, they may be stronger than ever.

Great Britain are European Champions

GBR battled it out with WG2 gaining a big lead on Rings.

The fantastic gymnasts from Putin’s dictatorship fought back, ending up with a slight lead after their last H Bar routine.

It came down to Harry Hepworth on Floor. He delivered with a huge difficulty set.

  1. Great Britain 246.728
  2. WG2 246.158
  3. Switzerland 242.094
  4. Italy 240.494
  5. Germany 240.160
  6. France 238.362
  7. Belgium 235.528
  8. Hungary 232.830

That was an excellent, exciting TEAM FINAL.

Kudos to 1st year senior Sol Scott who competed like a veteran. GBR wouldn’t have won without him. Will Sol be on their Worlds 2026 team?

The WG2 guys are young and fantastic. But weak on Rings. They brought specialist Ilia Zaika this time. No doubt they’ll consider bringing another Ring man to Worlds as their other apparatus are super strong.

Coaches should study Switzerland. Year after year they bring smart, safe, consistent routines.

Read Lauren’s LIVE blog.

Marios Georgiou – Shooting Star Award

At Men’s European Gymnastics Championships 2026.

Started in 2018, this award aims to put a gymnast with an exceptional story in the spotlight, someone who is an inspiration for the future generation of gymnasts and the general public alike.

Marios Georgiou has written some of the most remarkable chapters in the history of Cypriot gymnastics.

After making his Olympic debut at Rio 2016, he quickly established himself as one of the country’s leading gymnasts and a pioneer on the international stage.
In 2018, he enjoyed a breakthrough year, winning the All-Around and Horizontal Bar titles at the Mediterranean Games, as well as two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. A year later, he made history again by winning bronze in the European All-Around in Szczecin – Cyprus’ first-ever European gymnastics medal.

In 2022, Georgiou became the first Cypriot gymnast to win a European title, taking gold on Horizontal Bar in Munich. His greatest achievement came in 2024, when he became the first Cypriot European All-Around Champion in Rimini (scoring over 14 points on 4 apparatuses, highlighted by magnificent parallel bars and horizontal routines). This incredible performance also secured him a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where he reached the Horizontal Bar final and finished an impressive sixth — another historic first for Cyprus. A fantastic year for Marios Georgiou, crowned “Male Gymnast of the Year” with more than 50% of the votes.

In Zagreb, Marios Georgiou added another medal to his impressive collection, claiming silver on the high bar.

Beyond his impressive medal tally, Georgiou’s career is a story of perseverance, consistency and determination. By breaking new ground at almost every major stage of his career, he has become a true inspiration for young gymnasts in Cyprus and far beyond.

European Championships ’26 TEAM highlights

1. WG 2 165.430
2. Italy 161.796
3. France 159.263

Looking ahead, it’s easy to see Putin’s dictatorship will be contending at World and Olympic Team finals for many years to come.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

EU Jr Championships ’26 qualifications

FIRST it’s essential to point out (again) that it’s dumb to have small nations like Iceland (pop. 400k) compete against huge nations like Russia (pop. 143 million).

BUT that’s what we live with in Olympic sport competitions.

NEXT is to congratulation Croatia on hosting the 2026 European Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Championships. The small venue is bright and clean. Organization seems excellent to me.

JUNIORS will go on to compete in the Apparatus Finals on Sunday, Aug. 16th. But the rest of their competition is concluded.

TEAM FINAL RESULTS

  1. WG 2 158.629
  2. ITA 153.762
  3. FRA 153.129
  4. GBR 148.462
  5. BEL 147.563
  6. WG 1 144.897
  7. GER 144.364
  8. ISR 143.896

Full team results.

Certainly the talented, well-prepared gymnasts from Putin’s dictatorship are significantly ahead of the rest. In fact, they would be a good team in the Senior Team Final. 😀

Italy over France feels right to me. Italy has more difficulty. France better execution.

ALL-AROUND RESULTS:

1. Aleksandra Andrianova WG 2 53.565
2. Polina Dmitrieva WG 2 53.165
3. Clarissa Rinaldi ITA 52.698
4. Lucia Piliarova SVK 50.498
5. Martina Bozzola ITA 50.132
6. Caly Chayani FRA 49.832
7. Helena Finc GBR 49.598
8. Chloe Jurado FRA 49.565

Full AA results.

13 teams qualify to Worlds from Europeans

Too many when the Asian Union gets 4 and the Americas 5?

World Gymnastics 2 (Russia)
Italy
Great Britain
Germany
France
Netherlands
Spain
Belgium
Ukraine
Switzerland
Romania
Sweden
World Gymnastics 1 (Belarus)

SENIORS – Individual – Qualification TeamRankingWagDownload

U.S. Men’s Team to Worlds ’26

Of a number of possible good options, here’s who was selected for Rotterdam in October.

⭐️ Patty Hoopes
⭐️ Dani Leykin
⭐️ Kam Nelson
⭐️ Fred Richard
⭐️ Shane Wiskus

I’m glad Yul is traveling with the team. Experience. Hype. AND he could go in to replace anyone, if needed.

Shelli crunched the numbers concluding that team selection was logical. She’d also be happy if they’d taken Cooper Kim over a Pommel specialist.

Blakely, Pease lead USA Championships – day 1

1. Skye Blakely 55.600
– Claire Pease 55.600
3. Charleigh Bullock 55.400
4. Hezly Rivera 55.000
5. Jade Carey 54.400
6. Reese Esponda 54.100
7. Dulcy Caylor 53.600
8. Izzy Stassi 53.500

Full scores.

Rotterdam Gymnastics Worlds ’26 Preview

Oct. 17 – 25.

The theme of these 54th World Championships is “Building Bridges”: the event transcends mere competition to celebrate unity among individuals, generations, and cultures. 

Recall last year in Jakarta, Indonesia, some government officials refused — last minute — to allow Israeli athletes to enter the country.

Most critically, this is the 1st qualification for the 2028 Olympics.

Three MAG and 3 WAG teams will qualify.

zhoxxyy posted a deep dive into that competition for men ➙ Rotterdam Gymnastics 2026: Guide to the World Championships

I’ll be reporting in person from Rotterdam. And I’m really looking forward to the competition having so much enjoyed being there at Worlds 2010.

Ellie Black – Commonwealth Games champion ’26

1) Ellie Black – 53.050 (CAN)
2) Breanna Scott – 52.900 (AUS)
3) Lia-Monica Fontaine – 52.800 (CAN)

Full results.

Ellie Black, age-30, looking for her 5th Olympic Games in Los Angeles, is a legend.

Great athlete. But even more impressive as a positive role model and leader.

Ellie hit 8 / 8 so far in Glasgow. Consistency is one of her many, many strengths.

With Lia-Monica another very strong all-arounder, this may be Canada’s strongest Olympic team contender yet.

Read Lauren’s LIVE blog.

Read Spencer’s LIVE blog.