“Move To Inspire” 2025 World Championships Preview!

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MOVE TO INSPIRE!

By Nate Salsman and Christy Sandmaier

The stage is set! The 53rd FIG Artistic World Gymnastics Championships are here, and new champions are about to be crowned, dreams fulfilled, and goals renewed. These are the storylines that will launch the road to LA2028 for the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad. These are the faces we’ll follow and the names that will start to shape what we’ll see for the next four years. As a first-time host, the excitement is building in Jakarta, Indonesia, and we can’t wait to see who emerges at the top and who looks to be a major contender in the future. 

Back under the lights on the World Championship stage, and among many stars and potential stars, will be 2024 Olympic  gold medalist on uneven bars, Kaylia Nemour, 2024 Olympic beam silver medalist Zhou Yaqin, 2020 Olympic All-Around Champion and two-time World All-Around Champion(2022 and 2023) for Japan, Hashimoto Daiki , 2024 Olympic All-Around Champion Shinnosuke Oka of Japan, Olympic floor and vault gold medalist Carlos Yulo (PHI), a stellar British men’s team including Jake Jarman, Harry Hepworth, and Luke Whitehouse, 2022 World Champion on high bar Brody Malone (USA), 2021 silver medalist in the All-Around, Leanne Wong from the United States, 2021 World All-Around Champion Angelina Melnikova (AIN), Brazilian favorite Flavia Saraiva, and Canadian star Ellie Black, who is set to compete in her eighth World Championships.

The theme of the 2025 World Championships is “Move to Inspire.” Competition begins on Sunday, 19 October. Scroll for our preview, the storylines we have our eye on, who and how to watch!!

Note: FIG Statement on CAS Decisions

A Stacked U.S. Men’s Team

Since winning bronze in Antwerp in 2023, the U.S. men have continued to add depth. That remains true in 2025. The team enters with a legitimate chance of a medal in every event. Reigning U.S. All-Around Champion Asher Hong is tied for the highest combined difficulty on vault, making him a major medal contender in the event. His all-around program will also put him right in the mix for an all-around medal in Indonesia. Kameron Nelson is set to make his World Championship debut and is planning to bring the most difficult floor routine in the world. The routine features a triple pike, triple back, and slated to feature a full-twisting double layout as his final tumbling pass! The routine is spectacular and could contend for the floor exercise title. 2022 World High Bar Champion Brody Malone is back at Worlds and looking for a second world title. His planned routine starts at a 6.5 difficulty score and could easily contend for gold. Donnell Whittenburg is making his sixth appearance at a World Championships and has prepared one of the most difficult rings routines in the world for the occasion. His jam-packed routine, capped off by a triple pike dismount, and also known as the Whittenburg, could lead him back on a World Championship podium! Rounding out the U.S. men’s roster are two pommel horse specialists, Patty Hoopes and Brandon Dang. Both athletes have seen success on the international scene this year, and both have a legitimate shot at a podium finish. 

See John Roethlisberger’s take here!

Uneven Bar Showdown 

Jakarta will feature two massive and unique bar routines! Kaylia Nemour of Algeria is the reigning Olympic Champion on bars but is seeking her first World title, having won silver in 2023. Each skill in the routine connected up until the dismount, giving Nemour a massive difficulty score. She also competes an inbar layout Tkatchev, also known as the Nemour. Her highest difficulty score so far in 2025 has been 6.9! Newcomer Yang Fanyuwei of China could play spoiler in Nemour’s pursuit of a world title. This year, Fanyuwei became the first woman to successfully compete a laid-out Jaeger, getting the skill named after her! Fanyuwei builds difficulty with challenging pirouette connections. At her peak, she can reach a 6.7 difficulty score! Each athlete’s routine is unique and should surely make for an epic showdown.

Paris Olympic Champions in the House

Olympic champion alert! This World Championships features many Olympic gold medalists who are fresh off their gold-medal moments in Paris. The reigning Olympic Champion in the all-around and high bar, Oka Shinnosuke, is making his World Championship debut in Jakarta! He will undoubtedly be a favorite to win gold in the all-around and high bar at Worlds! Kaylia Nemour of Algeria will be the lone Olympic Champion in the women’s field present in Jakarta and will be seeking multiple medals. Carlos Yulo of the Philippines won Olympic titles on both vault and floor in Paris and will look to win his second world title on both apparatus. Two-time Olympic and three-time world parallel bar champion Zou Jingyuan of China is the favorite to win yet another parallel bar title! 

NCAA>>>Elite 

We have loved seeing the surplus of female gymnasts balancing college gymnastics and Elite gymnastics! Team USA features three athletes fresh off busy NCAA seasons in 2025. Joscelyn Roberson was a freshman star for the Arkansas Razorbacks, qualifying all the way to the NCAA National Championships as an individual All-Around competitor. Now, Roberson is back on the world stage and ready to contend for major medals! Skye Blakely was a mainstay in the Florida Gator bars lineup after recovering from an Achilles tear she sustained at the 2024 Olympic Trials. Blakely will look to make some noise on bars and beam in Jakarta! In 2025, Leanne Wong wrapped a star-studded collegiate career as a Florida Gator. Since her season wrapped, Wong was named a Student Assistant Coach for the Florida Gators! She also finished second in the all-around and won vault at the 2025 Xfinity U.S. Championships.

Meet the U.S. Women here!

Kaia Tanskanen of Finland competed in her freshman year at Missouri in 2025! Now she’s ready for another opportunity to compete on the world stage after winning bronze on floor at the Paris World Challenge Cup!

“It felt super surreal and I was so happy with myself that I managed to stay in first leading up to the seventh girl competing in the final, and seeing my score hold in a good spot for that long was just super exciting and then seeing the final result was so overwhelming and exciting, and I just honestly was shocked,” Tanskanen said. “I think competing the double-double gives me extra motivation for worlds because I know I can confidently and successfully compete it, and it makes me want to strive for more upgrades on other events as well. I was also super proud of myself for competing the double-double and making history for Finland and competing it for the first time for myself as well!”

Expect to see upgrades and big tumbling on the floor from Tanskanen!

See the full interview from Kaia here!

British Men On Floor

If there’s one thing to expect from the British Men in Jakarta, it’s out-of-this-world tumbling! Jake Jarman, Harry Hepworth, and Luke Whitehouse will all compete some of the most difficult floor routines in the world. The challenge for the British men will be seeing which two gymnasts battle it out and qualify for the final. All three athletes compete very similar d-scores, meaning it will come down to execution for who advances to the final. Any of these three incredible athletes will have a shot at the world title on floor!

Women’s All-Around Final=Anyone’s Game

With the absence of gymnastics legends Simone Biles, Rebeca Andrade, and Sunisa Lee from this year’s World Championships, the battle for the all-around title will be one to watch. Frontrunners include Kaylia Nemour of Algeria and Leanne Wong of Team USA. Expect Russian athletes (who will return to World Championships for the first time since 2022 under the title AIN) to also be in the mix, including 2021 World All-Around Champion Angelina Melnikova and newcomer Anna Kalmykova. Other contenders include Kishi Rina of Japan, Giulia Perotti of Italy, and Ellie Black of Canada. If Flavia Saraiva competes in all four events, she could also contend. The door is wide open this year for a new star, and we cannot wait to see who steps into the spotlight! Also keep your eyes on Dulcy Caylor for Team USA. Caylor topped the field at the U.S. Women’s Selection event and could very well surprise here again.

Notably missing from Worlds are 2024 Olympic Champion on beam, Alice D’Amato, and two-time European Champion, Manila Esposito. 2024 Olympic team gold medalist and U.S. Champion Hezly Rivera will also not be in Jakarta. Rivera withdrew from the U.S. World Team Selection event due to injury. Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey will also not be in Jakarta for Team USA, but told us in August she hasn’t ruled out a return to Elite competition.

Battle For Beam Gold

The battle for the world beam title could ome down to two Chinese superstars—World and Olympic silver medalist Zhou Yaqin and teammate Zhang Qingying. The duo competes the two most challenging routines in the world, and each brings a unique and dynamic skill set that will wow the world stage. Hitting their connections will be key, as each of their routines relies heavily on connection value. Also, be on the lookout for Hwang Seohyun of South Korea, Kaylia Nemour of Algeria, Skye Blakely of Team USA, and Flavia Saraiva of Brazil to make some noise on beam. 

Pommel Battle Heats Up

At every World Championships, the pommel horse final is typically one of the most thrilling and exciting finals of the competition. This could remain true in Jakarta, especially with two-time World Champion and reigning Olympic gold medalist Rhys McClenaghan (IRL) sidelined this year with an injury. Reigning Olympic silver medalist Nariman Kurbanov (KAZ) is one of three athletes to break the 15-point mark on the event this year! He also currently competes the most difficult routine in the world, and his experience and level of difficulty could lead him to his first world title. The other two athletes to break 15 this year are Gabriele Targhetta of Italy and Patty Hoopes of Team USA. Hoopes is making his World Championship debut and has shown sheer consistency that could lead him to a world medal. Other contenders include Hiroto Ishizawa of Japan and Brandon Dang of Team USA. 

The Stars Have Arrived!

This year’s World Championships will feature some of gymnastics’ biggest stars and newcomers to the world stage. Ellie Black of Canada is competing in her eighth World Championships and could contend for medals in every event. Her longevity in the sport is truly inspiring, and we can’t wait to see her back in action in Jakarta! Flavia Saraiva of Brazil is also back at Worlds and looks to be a major contender on beam. Saraiva’s ring leaps and unmatched level of artistry stand out amongst her competitors. 2020 Olympic All-Around Champion Daiki Hashimoto is a favorite to defend his world titles in both the all-around and on high bar! With hit routines, it will be hard to deny Hashimoto! 

History-Making Location

Jakarta, Indonesia, marks the first time the World Championships will take place in Southeast Asia and the fourth Asian country to host, joining Japan, China, and Qatar. The competition will take place in the beautiful Indonesia Arena located in the heart of Jakarta. The 2025 World Championships have already made history before the event has begun, and will certainly create an entire slate of new storylines once the gymnasts take the floor!

Inside Gymnastics magazine will be onsite in Jakarta to bring you all of the latest from the floor! Stay tuned to our social media @InsideGym and right here on InsideGym.com for for updates!

Meet the U.S. Women here!

Click here for the latest roster for all countries!

How It Works At Worlds

The 2025 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, from October 19 to October 25. The event is an individual event and all-around competition only. There is no team event. Athletes will qualify to finals through Qualifications subdivisions.

Preliminary competition in Jakarta will consist of eight men’s and 10 women’s subdivisions, who will take to the apparatus in the Indonesia Arena during the first three days of the World Championships as they attempt to qualify for all-around and apparatus finals.

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