Russia Is Back In Gymnastics – And It’s Like They Never Left

Russian gymnasts returned to the world stage this week in Jakarta, Indonesia, at the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. This marked their first world championship appearance since 2021, and they did not miss a beat.

The International Gymnastics Federation banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing at sanctioned events after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. However, earlier this year, a crop of athletes was controversially approved to resume competition as Authorized Individual Neutral athletes.

After winning both the men’s and women’s team gold medals at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Russian gymnastics emerged as the newest international powerhouse and a disruptor of the U.S. women’s recent dominance. Now, over four years later, a new roster of athletes appears ready to return to the top of the international ranks.

While the team consists mainly of newcomers, the Russians arrived armed with one of the most decorated gymnasts in their nation’s history.

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Melnikova Leads Russian Charge

2021 World all-around champion Angelina Melnikova was expected to lead the Russian women’s contingent in Jakarta, and the Olympic gold medalist exceeded expectations in Monday’s qualification round.

Heading into this week’s all-around and event finals, Melnikova ranks No. 1 in the all-around and on vault, and has also qualified for the uneven bars final. The 3rd most-decorated Russian women’s gymnast of all-time will attempt to win her second all-around title on Thursday, October 23. She will likely face a formidable challenge from Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour.

Perhaps most impressively, Melnikova showcased upgrades on vault, sticking arguably the strongest vault of her career to post the top combined score. After more than three years removed from international competition, the Russian figurehead looks poised to come away with multiple medals in Jakarta.

While Melnikova led the charge, she was joined by a trio of Russian rookies who made successful debuts on the world championship stage.

After qualifying in seventh, 17-year-old Liudmila Roshchina will join Melnikova in the women’s all-around final. Anna Kalmykova, a rising star and the 2025 Russian Cup Champion, qualified for the vault final, and Leila Vasilieva will appear in the bars final.

2025 Russian men’s national champion Daniel Marinov also delivered in the men’s qualification round, qualifying to compete for medals on vault, parallel bars, and high bar. The 20-year-old finished seventh in the men’s all-around final earlier this morning. His teammate, Vladislav Poliashov, will join him in the parallel bars final.

Controversy Continues

While Melnikova and her teammates continue to compete with composure under the bright lights, Russia’s inclusion under approved “neutral status” at the event remains under intense scrutiny.

To achieve neutral status, the FIG states that an athlete must meet the following criteria:

1. No link with the Russian/Belarusian military or with any national security agency.
2. No communication associated with Russia or Belarus.
3. No support for the military conflict in Ukraine.

Many argue that Melnikova’s inclusion violates these ad-hoc guidelines. The gymnast trains under the Central Sports Club of the Army, a club subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Defense. Ukraine considers athletes from this club to be representatives of “the armed forces of the aggressor state.”

Furthermore, Melnikova’s political ties are notable. In April, she ran in a local election in Voronezh and won the primary as a candidate for the pro-government United Russia party. Although Melnikova later withdrew her candidacy to focus on gymnastics, critics point out that this was not a retraction of her political stance.

The Israel Gymnastics Federation’s simultaneous ban from the event due to the war in Gaza has also resurfaced concerns regarding Russian (and Belarusian) participation. Israeli gymnasts were barred from competing at the event after Indonesian officials announced their intent to deny Israel’s visas.

While the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected Israel’s “urgent appeals” in response to Indonesia’s actions, the second appeal will not be resolved until the competition is completed, following Oct. 25, the New York Times reports.

While Israel’s world championship aspirations were cut short, Russian and Belarusian medal hopes remain alive and well.

Nonetheless, Russia is back – and they are once again making an impact on the global gymnastics stage.

Review the event schedule to stay on top of all the action in Jakarta.

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