JAKARTA, INDONESIA – OCTOBER 24: Joscelyn Roberson of Team United States reacts after competing in the Women’s vault apparatus final on day six of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at Indonesia Arena on October 24, 2025 in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
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Team USA gymnast Joscelyn Roberson hadn’t looked herself this week in Jakarta at the World Gymnastics Championships. The 19-year-old had been candid about her struggles – both mental and physical – leading up to the biggest competition of the year.
“Everything that could have gone wrong this week has,” Roberson told GymCastic after the qualifying round, adding that her “confidence was on zero.”
However, the Arkansas Razorback sophomore put those woes behind her early Friday morning and channeled her energy into her first individual World medal. This medal has extra meaning for Joscelyn.
In 2023, Roberson made the women’s vault final at her first world championship. However, in warmups for the women’s team final, she landed short, incurring a season-ending ankle injury. “It’s the thing that gets me the most emotional,” Roberson said of the apparatus. “It’s hard for me to be confident in myself.”
She looked a new gymnast today in Jakarta at her first vault final. Though Roberson’s struggles with the Taishan equipment kept her out of the floor final, she had managed to qualify in the eighth and final spot to today’s event.
Heading into the final, Roberson was no longer a favorite to medal – she had yet to vault her difficult “Cheng” vault in Jakarta, and therefore was starting from lower difficulty scores than her top competitors (Russia’s Angelina Melnikova and Germany’s Karina Schöenmaier).
Roberson Has an Idea (The Night Before Competition)
However, the night before the competition, Roberson told Inside Gymnastics she had a revelation. She could try a new vault in the world final.
While her recent challenges kept her from vaulting the Cheng, she determined she could vault a different vault that would put her in contention: the “Mustafina.” Unofficially named after legendary Russian gymnast Aliya Mustafina, the vault includes an extra half twist from the vault Roberson competed in the qualifying round.
“I was like, oh my god, I can do that vault,” she said with a giddy smile.
Here’s the problem: Roberson had not trained this vault since March. Seven months. Muscle memory can often take over in gymnastics, but this would be no small feat. Despite the lack of training for this vault, Roberson felt confident.
“If I can’t do my Cheng tomorrow, why not just do the (Mustafina),” she resolved. After initial pushback, her coach, Chris Brooks, signed off on the change. The rest was history.
Third-placed United States’ Joscelyn Roberson with the bronze medal poses during the victory ceremony for the women’s vault final at the 53rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta on October 24, 2025. (Photo by Yasuyoshi CHIBA / AFP) (Photo by YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images)
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After struggling to land the Cheng for weeks cleanly, the ‘Mustafina’ looked like a walk in the park for Roberson. She landed without hesitation for a small hop forward and an immediate, beaming smile. She hit her second vault for a combined score of 13.983. The score would ultimately hold up for bronze; she was just .100 out of silver.
It’s “time to take my power back,” she said with a smile. Mission accomplished.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolineprice/2025/10/24/joscelyn-roberson-claims-emotional-world-medal-after-jakarta-struggles/
