Category: beam

Olympic Beam Champion retires in Rotterdam

A great way to finish her amazing career. Inventing a new way to be competitive on Beam, by connecting superb leaps, jumps, & turns.

Olympic balance beam champion 2016 from the Netherlands, Sanne Wevers, officially retired on October 19, 2026, following the qualification round at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam.

Sanne is now 35 years old. Decided in 2025 to comeback just for this World Championships at home. She competed 2010 World Championships in Rotterdam, as well.

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Suni Lee in 2027?

I don’t believe Simone or Suni Lee would make a comeback unless they were looking for Gold medals in the 2028 Olympics.

Obviously, either could contend for medals if and when back and in peak shape.

Simone could easily win Vault, for example.

Suni is astonishingly talented. I’d love to see her go for it.

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A.I. predicted World Champions

Summing-up Apparatus Finals – day 2

For once, a Beam Final was excellent.

Who could have predicted we’d one day have a World Beam & Bars Champion representing Algeria?

Men’s Vault very good. H Bar a bit of a disappointment as so many of the top guys fell.

Worlds 2027 Chengdu, China is already in the minds of the best gymnasts in the world. The OLYMPIC QUALIFYING Worlds. I’ve already booked my accommodation.

September 29 to October 8, 2027, World Championships is held during National Day Golden Week (October 1–7). That’s a big holiday. Transportation and accommodation will be busy.

Results

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Pundits

Highlights

The biggest highlight was seeing Kaylia win Beam after clinching Bars the previous day. She credits her coach Nadia Massé.

  • USA went 1-2 with Claire Pease (13.866) and Reese Esponda (13.566) on Floor, an apparatus where nobody really knows what judges are looking for
  • Armenia’s Artur Davtyan made sure he’d win against a strong field by STICKING both his Vaults perfectly. Armenia hosts European Championships 2027. They have some Worlds medalists. 😀

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Surprises

  • Norway’s Sebastian Sponevik takes Bronze on Vault. Congratulations.
  • both amazing young H Bar men from Colombia fell. Look out L.A. Olympics. Colombia will qualify a full team and contend for medals.
  • Dukhno is known for his consistency and amazing landings, but had a bad day in Apparatus Finals
  • Daniel Marinov has been better for Putin’s dictatorship. In fact, it looks like a judging error in the AA Final left him in 4th place where he should have been Bronze

Big Story

For me the biggest story at World Rotterdam was the Netherlands government denying visas to eligible gymnasts, including the defending World Champion. That won’t happen in China next year, I’m sure.

But future World Championships hosts need to get some guarantee from their governments it won’t happen again.

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Beam World Champion Kaylia Nemour

Algeria has the World Bars and Beam champion.

An excellent Beam Final (for a change). Very entertaining.

TIE between the top two. Tie-breaker goes to Kaylia.

I would have Manila higher in the execution score than Kaylia. They tied at 8.266. Folks will be reviewing video trying to understand what the judges are doing.

Elena, Manila, and Skye were fantastic.

1. Kaylia Némour, Algeria, 14.566
2. Zhang Qingying, China, 14.566
3. Flavia Saraiva, Brazil, 14.300
4. Elena Colas, France, 14.100
5. Manila Esposito, Italy, 14.066
6. Skye Blakely, United States, 13.633
7. Qiu Qiyuan, China, 13.633
8. Okamura Mana, Japan, 12.666

Full results.

Zhang Qingying won in 2025. Silver in 2026. Already a legend in the sport.

Summing-up Individual Gymnastics Championships Rotterdam – Skye Blakely wins.

  1. Skye Blakely, United States, 55.733
  2. Lyudmila Roshchina, Russia, 55.199
  3. Ke Qinqin, China, 55.032

Full results.

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Pundits

Surprises

  • Kaylia, Claire, and Skye were the names most often listed as favourites
  • IF Kaylia stayed on Beam and Bars, she’d most like win. Especially if she competed Yurchenko Double Twist again.
  • first rotation, Kaylia took off for Vault with her feet partly on the foam safety collar — deciding at the instant not to twist. The correct decision. With credit only for Layout Yurchenko, it seemed her chances at a medal were gone. 1.666 lower than qualification. Better than a mat would be to simply increase the size of the Spring Board.
  • Claire had been quite consistent on Beam this season — but fell on Layout in Acro Series. Half the gymnasts fell on Beam, a disappointment.
  • Liudmila Roshchina finishing 2nd shouldn’t have been a surprise. She been one of the top Russians for a few years now. BUT just 3 days before the official start date of the competition, Roshchina’s visa was approved but those of Melnikova, Listunova, and Kalmykova denied.
  • In fact, despite the years denied international competition, Russia is just as strong as before in Men’s and Women’s Gymnastics. For the record, I support banning them so long as murdering dictator-for-life Putin continues his invasion of Ukraine.
  • Elena Colas continues to impress. It’s just a matter of time before she’s on an AA podium.
  • Despite the fall on Beam, I don’t think Flavia’s ever looked better.

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Highlights

NOT a great All-Around Final. Not as many highlights as hoped. Most gymnasts were better in qualification.

  • Ke Qinqin has a fairly safe Yurchenko Double Twist.
  • Ke Qinqin is my favourite Beamer. Use her as the ideal model. But fall on Double Tuck dismount. STILL scored 13.833.
  • new mom, Alice Kinsella, was the top British gymnast. Like Canada, GBR had plenty of problems on Beam.
  • Claire Pease has the best Pak. Floaty. Our future Video Analysis Computer execution judge could use that as the model for zero deduction.

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Summing-up Rotterdam Worlds TEAM FINAL – China wins.

The Women’s Team Final 2026 was excellent this year — better than I expected. And far better than the Men’s Team Final.

Results.

Automatic qualification as teams to Olympics 2028 for the top three.

1. China – 165.764
2. USA – 165.531
3. Japan – 164.064

  1. France – 161.130
  2. Brazil – 159.730
  3. WG2 Russia – 159.394
  4. Italy – 158.129
  5. Canada – 158.096

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Pundit Analysis

Surprises

  • Fujitsu video analysis has coaches worried that skills credited in the past will suddenly be downgraded. I want computer video analysis integrated into the score as soon as possible. It’s really helped Trampoline.
  • Nobody watching Skye’s Beam worried that she wasn’t getting credit for her Switch Half and series. Credit to the judges, by exacting evaluation of the rules, it wasn’t rotated far enough. The best way to solve this problem would be to devalue Switch Half.
  • Roshchina missed her Dance Combo requirement on Beam. Didn’t seem to have a back-up planned for later in the routine.
  • Manila fell on Beam dismount. Impossible. I’m blocking that from my memory.

Highlights

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  • China finally winning Gold was my highlight. I recall ALL the World Championships in the past where China won the Men’s Team — and the women were 4th. This time the ladies are Gold medalists on the flight home.
  • Japan so happy with the Bronze podium finish — fantastic.
  • Fujitsu Awards go to the Women’s Team of Japan, first team medal in 60 years. And the Men’s Team of host Netherlands.
  • Newcomer Coralie DEMERS (from Gymnix, Canada) swings like a dream on Bars.
  • Lia-Monica Fontaine from Canada is now age-17. Her 2nd World Championships. A future all-around star with tremendous potential on Floor and Vault.
  • Elena Colas, age 16, is already an AA podium contender. Imagine a scenario where she and Kaylia Nemour were both competing for France. … What could have been.
  • Pease has the best controlled Wolf turn on Beam. WTC should devalue those.
  • Rebeca back at Worlds. Wonderful for Brazil and everyone.
  • Claire Pease was terrific, scoring a competition high 56.099 if there was an AA during Team
  • Without Simone, there’s much more parity in the Team competition. In an exciting 3-up, 3-count Final, many more nations have a chance to medal. For Japan it’s been 60 years since their last podium finish.
  • Floor scores made more sense than in the qualification round. I’m still convinced that choreography was best ever in 2026. Nations like China and USA much more entertaining.
  • As a Canadian, I was pleased Ellie Black’s team qualified for the Final. Recall they qualified 8th four years ago, finishing 3rd in Team, qualifying to the Paris Olympics. That didn’t happen this year due to BEAM. (3 falls in qualifying, 2 falls in Team) But this might be Canada’s strongest team ever — when they stay on the skinny Floor.

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Chellsie on the Women’s Team Final

Great team effort.

In future, working on increasing execution scores, especially on Beam.

Absolutely no-one considered the possibility of Skye Blakely not getting credit for her Switch Half. No-one to blame, in my opinion.

I’d love World Gymnastics WTC to devalue Switch Half. It’s an overused skill.

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