Category: pommel horse

A.I. predicted World Champions

Summing-up Apparatus Finals – day 1

Quite a good day of Apparatus Finals. Pommels the most exciting. Bars too.

BIG controversy was FIG WTC wrongly devaluing Ellie Black’s Vault. There are several problems in the current Code with why and how they made that error. FIX them.

An even bigger issue came up the next day. In the final rotation of the All Around final in Rotterdam, Joe Fraser competed Floor and accidentally left out a non-value, relatively unimportant corner move. By the rules this should have been a 0.3 deduction. IF judges had taken that, Daniel Marinov would have been Bronze instead of Joe.

It can’t be changed. NOBODY noticed at the time. Judges are to blame, not athletes.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch more highlights on YouTube.

Pundits

Surprises

I had no idea Simone was coming. Uchimura surprised me on his arrival, as well.

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 host need to get some guarantee from their governments it won’t happen again.

Pommel World Champion Hamlet Manukyan

BEST apparatus Final in Rotterdam. Top guys so good, deciding the ranking is almost subjective. Most would be close to 10.0 under the old judging system.

1. Hamlet Manukyan, Armenia, 15.300
2. Gabriele Targhetta, Italy, 15.233
3. Mamikon Khachatryan, Armenia, 15.000
4. Nariman Kurbanov, Kazakhstan, 14.933
5. Patrick Hoopes, United States, 14.933
6. Hur Woong, South Korea, 14.833
7. Kilan van der Aa, Belgium, 14.733
8. Hashimoto Daiki, Japan, 13.466

Gold and Bronze for Armenia. And those two are NOT the typical tall, slim Pommel build. Born talented. Super well coached.

Armenia hosting next year’s European Championships in Yerevan.

Interview ➙ Armenia’s Mamikon Khachatryan on pommel horse bronze

Hur Woong suffered a 0.3 neutral deduction. I’m not sure why. Apparently it was for warm-up overtime. Hmm …

Sam Oldham & Kensley Behel on Men’s Worlds TEAM FINAL Rotterdam

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Summing-up Men’s Team Finals at Worlds Rotterdam – Japan defends

Top 3 teams earn automatic Olympics 2028 team qualification.

  1. Japan 251.928
  2. WG2/Russia 250.329
  3. China 249.193
  • Great Britain 247.395
  • Switzerland 246.497
  • United States 245.161
  • Netherlands 241.294
  • Colombia 240.093

It really was a crazy day, the top teams making unexpected and sometimes weird mistakes. GBR and China led at various times.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Pundit Analysis

Surprises

  • Colombia qualifying for the Team Final was the biggest surprise. We’d predicted it COULD happen with 2 superstars Ángel Barajas & Camilo Vera. But there are plenty of teams who wanted their spot.
  • USA had the difficulty to contend with the top teams, but had a bad meet. It happens.
  • competition delay after Team NETHERLANDS complained about the Floor in one touch warm-ups. Just like Worlds 2017 Montreal.
  • online and in arena scoring was very good in the qualification days. But for the Team Final, we really didn’t get enough information.
  • top Pommel guys in the world should avoid Magyar / Sivado in case of SKEW deduction. And maybe get rid of Wu-type long travels for risk of form break. I’d like to see Fujitsu analyze extension on regular circles. To separate the best of the best, we might need require a straight line.

Highlights

  • Colombia qualifying for the Team Final was my highlight. A small non-European nation grabbing that spot in front of so many teams looking for 2028 Olympic qualification.
  • Ángel Barajas used his harder H Bar routine. And hit. It’s a shocker every time.
  • Netherlands qualifying for the Team Final was not all that much of a surprise — but them delivering so many excellent routines in front of the home crowd was a huge highlight. Congratulations.
  • Daiki Hashimoto clinching the win for the team on H Bar. Drama.
  • Shane Wiskus was money-in-the-bank again, leading off for team USA. So consistent.
  • my man Kam Nelson from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, confirmed to me he’s a legit contender for the U.S. Olympic team. Consistent competitor on 3 apparatus. Could be top 2 American on any of those three.
  • Zou Jingyuan is maybe my favourite Chinese gymnast of all time. So many BIG routines, big competitions. Now age-28, how many years can he keep going?
  • Switzerland once again super prepared, super consistent. With so many falls from the top teams, at one point I wondered if they might WIN these World Championships
  • Scotland’s Reuben Ward is a GBR A-team member now. Super job in Rotterdam.
  • Jake Jarmin looking great
  • Danila Leykin is a highlight for me. He’s exactly the kind of gymnast USA needs. Charisma. Ultra-modern routine construction. Only age-19, I suspect he will learn a lot from mistakes in 2026 and be a superstar by 2028.
  • China on Rings. Zou Jingyuan (14.033), Yang Haonan (14.000), and Lan Xingyu (14.733).
  • Dukhno is the best gymnast to come out of WG2 Russia for many years. Only age-18. I worry about his future potential on Rings, however.
  • STICK BONUS for MAG has really improved the quality of dismounts. And crowd appeal as the great unwashed can appreciate a stuck landing.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Nate Salsman & Kensley Behel on Men’s Rotterdam Worlds qualifications

Another detailed breakdown on what went right — and what went wrong.

Everyone is excited about Fujitsu computer analysis finally being used. But like all new technologies, it’s prone to mistakes and even hallucinations.

Nate Salsman is here for Inside Gymnastics magazine.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

RESULTS ➙ Men’s Gymnastics World Championships Rotterdam Finalists

Men’s Qualifications Conclude at Rotterdam Worlds; Field Set for Team, All-Around and Apparatus Finals

2026 Gymnastics Worlds Qualifications: Hits, Misses & Surprises

Japan Leads Team Qualifications in Men’s Competition at Worlds

Team

Top 8 from the qualification competition move on to the 3-up, 3-count Team Final.

Japan are strong favourites to win. BUT anything can happen in Men’s Gymnastics.

  1. Japan 254.529
  2. Great Britain 251.460
  3. Russia 249.162
  4. China 247.493
  5. United States 245.961
  6. Switzerland 244.430
  7. Netherlands 242.995
  8. Colombia 242.727

All-around

Zhang Boheng is out with injury.

  1. Oka Shinnosuke JPN 85.098
  2. Hashimoto Daiki JPN 84.632
  3. Arseniy Dukhno RUS 83.866
  4. Jake Jarman GBR 83.698
  5. Yang Haonan CHN 83.464
  6. Illia Kovtun CRO 83.099
  7. Joe Fraser GBR 83.065
  8. Angel Barajas COL 82.831
  9. Camilo Vera COL 82.764
  10. Fred Richard USA 82.098
  11. Daniel Marinov RUS 81.564
  12. Yumin Abbadini ITA 81.065
  13. Florian Langenegger SUI 80.599
  14. Noe Seifert SUI 80.598
  15. Krisztofer Meszaros HUN 80.264
  16. Nurtan Idrissov KAZ 79.665
  17. Elijah Faverus NED 79.466
  18. Anthony Mansard FRA 79.199
  19. Victor Martinez BEL 79.063
  20. Naël Sakouhi FRA 78.999
  21. Danila Leykin USA 78.998
  22. Sam Zakutney CAN 78.764
  23. Timo Eder GER 78.465
  24. Jermain Grünberg NED 78.432

Floor

  1. Arseniy Dukhno RUS 14.700
  2. Carlos Yulo PHI 14.500
  3. Artem Dolgopyat ISR 14.300
  4. Fred Richard USA 14.233
  5. Jake Jarman GBR 14.133
  6. Yahor Sharamkou BLR 14.100
  7. Noam Berkovich ISR 14.033
    – Doi Ryosuke JPN 14.033

Pommels

  1. Hamlet Manukyan ARM 14.933
  2. Nariman Kurbanov KAZ 14.866
  3. Gabriele Targetta ITA 14.833
  4. Mamikon Khachatryan ARM 14.733
  5. Patrick Hoopes USA 14.666
  6. Hur Woong KOR 14.633
  7. Kilan van der Aa BEL 14.600
  8. Hashimoto Daiki JPN 14.533

This will likely be the best and closest apparatus final. Consider the superstars who DIDN’T qualify:

Rings

  1. Lan Xingyu CHN 14.733
  2. Ilya Zaika RUS 14.53
  3. Courtney Tulloch GBR 14.500
  4. Artur Avetisyan ARM 14.233
  5. Mehmet Ayberk Kosak TUR 14.233
  6. Glen Cuyle BEL 14.100
  7. Oka Shinnosuke JPN 14.066
  8. Eleftherios Petrounias GRE 14.033

Vault

  1. Jake Jarman GBR 14.633
  2. Artur Davtyan ARM 14.633
  3. Nazar Chepurnyi UKR 14.450
  4. Arseniy Dukhno RUS 14.350
  5. Kawakami Shohei JPN 14.283
  6. Carlos Yulo PHI 14.266
  7. Sebastian Sponevik NOR 14.233
  8. Harry Hepworth GBR 14.216

P Bars

  1. Zou Jingyuan CHN 15.466
  2. Illia Kovtun UKR 14.900
  3. Oka Shinnosuke JPN 14.866
  4. Hashimoto Daiki JPN 14.800
  5. Daniel Marinov RUS 14.700
  6. Arseniy Dukhno RUS 14.600
  7. Noe Seifert SUI 14.600
  8. David Rumbutis SWE 14.500

H Bar

  1. Kawakami Shohei JPN 14.600
  2. Tang Chia-Hung TWN 14.566
  3. Oka Shinnosuke JPN 14.500
  4. Jesse Moore AUS 14.366
  5. Angel Barajas COL 14.333
  6. Sergei Naidin RUS 14.233
  7. Camilo Vera COL 14.166
  8. Yumin Abbadini ITA 14.166

Men’s World Championships Rotterdam – day 1 qualification round

Japan takes command as Oka leads all-around qualification after the fourth subdivision at Rotterdam Worlds

Oka Shinnosuke leads the way for Japan on opening day of Artistic Gymnastics Worlds

Results after 2/3rds of the competition complete:

TEAM

  1. Japan
  2. Great Britain
  3. WG2

USA sitting 4th after quite a rough day of qualification.

I was impressed with host Netherlands (5th) and breakout nation Colombia (6th).

France (7th) was good, too. Canada (8th) had a disappointing day.

I don’t think China can challenge Japan in the Team Final with Zhang Boheng injured. Japan has no weaknesses. Rings is the weakest apparatus, and they are 2nd as a team so far behind GBR.

All-around

  1. Oka Shinnosuke
  2. Hashimoto Daiki
  3. Dukhno Arsenii

Many of the top guys had one or two errors in qualifying. They’ll all be trying to hit 6 / 6 perfectly in the AA Final.

Floor

  1. Dukhno Arsenii
  2. Richard Frederick (amazing landings)
  3. Jarman Jake (monster difficulty)

Kam Nelson did a huge routine, as well, with Triple Pike and Triple Tuck. But had many landing deductions. He won’t be in the Final.

Pommels

  1. Manukyan Hamlet
  2. Khachatryan Mamikon
  3. Hoopes Patrick

Some of the other top contenders had minor deductions probably keeping them out of the Final: Carroll Jordan, Lee Chih-Kai, McClenaghan Rhys.

Rhys might still sneak in.

Rings

  1. Zaika Ilia
  2. Tulloch Courtney (stuck Triple Tuck)
  3. Avetisyan Artur

Perhaps the weakest final as many of the top guys in the world didn’t make it to Rotterdam.

Legend Petrounias Eleftherios sitting 6th, so far.

Vault

  1. Jarman Jake
  2. Davtyan Artur
  3. Chepurnyi Nazar


Dukhno Arsenii 4th.

P Bars

  1. Kovtun Illia
  2. Oka Shinnosuke
  3. Hashimoto Daiki

H Bar

  1. Kawakami Shohei
  2. Tang Chia-Hung (with a slightly easier routine)
  3. Oka Shinnosuke

Moore Jesse sitting 4th. I’m still waiting for Jesse to put together a perfect AA meet. He’s one of the most underrated gymnasts in the world.

Full results.

Click PLAY or watch analysis of Day 1 on YouTube.

World Gymnastics Championships Rotterdam MEN’s predictions

The most detailed analysis of the Men’s competition I’ve seen is from zhoxxyy.

Click through to see ➙ 2026 World Championships in Rotterdam Predictions

Crunching the numbers, he considers the favourites to be …

AA – Hashimoto Daiki (JPN)

Floor – Arsenii Dukhno (RUS)

Pommels – Gabriele Targhetta (ITA)

Rings – Lan Xingyu (CHN)

Vault – Artur Davtyan (ARM)

P Bars – Zou Jingyuan (CHN)

H Bar – Tang Chia-Hung (TPE)

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