Part two of our Rotterdam World Championships preview, subdivisions 6 through 10. We’re living in the age of Rebeca Andrade and Angelina Melnikova, so what history is on the line for two of the most decorated gymnasts ever? We size up breakout star Elena Colas and France, Great Britain on the team-final bubble, a veteran Netherlands team on home soil, Russia (competing as AIN), Canada, Spain and Brazil, then ask whether China has the vaults to go with its beam and bars. Plus a Man Break with Carlos Yulo, Casimir Schmidt and reports that Zhang Boheng is off China’s roster, and our vault and beam final previews.
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WORLDS PREVIEW PART 2: SUBDIVISIONS 6–10
- The age of Rebeca Andrade (BRA) and Angelina Melnikova (AIN): two of the most decorated gymnasts ever, chasing the all-time top 10 in combined world and Olympic medals. A third world all-around title would tie Melnikova with Svetlana Khorkina, and a third world vault title would tie Andrade with Cheng Fei.
- Subdivision 6: France and breakout-star alert Elena Colas (FRA), Morgane Osyssek-Reimer (FRA)‘s layout full on beam, and Malaysia’s Rachel Yeoh (MAS) and Cadence Teh (MAS).
- Subdivision 7: Spencer’s Scoresheets put Great Britain on the team-final bubble, with Becky Downie (GBR) on bars, Alia Leat (GBR) on beam, Alice Kinsella (GBR), Ruby Evans (GBR) and Abigail Martin (GBR). Plus a veteran Netherlands team at home with Sanne Wevers (NED), Vera van Pol (NED), Naomi Visser (NED) and Sanna Veerman (NED), and Iceland’s Thelma Adalsteinsdottir (ISL) on floor.
- Man Break: the men’s all-around after Daiki Hashimoto (JPN), Shinnosuke Oka (JPN) and Ilia Kovtun (UKR); reports that Zhang Boheng (CHN) is off China’s roster; Carlos Yulo (PHI), Casimir Schmidt (NED)‘s 11th world team, and Ilia Zaika (AIN)‘s upside-down iron cross on rings.
- Subdivision 8: Russia (AIN) as default medal favorite, with Melnikova, Kalmykova and Listunova; Canada with Ellie Black (CAN); and Spain’s Alba Petisco (ESP) and Pacheco’s two-foot layout mount.
- Subdivision 9: Is Brazil still the Brazil that medaled in Paris? Andrade, Flavia Saraiva (BRA) and Thais Fidelis (BRA).
- Vault preview: Andrade, Yeo Seojeong (KOR) and the Cheng-plus-Yurchenko double full contenders.
- Subdivision 10: Does China have the vault and floor to go with its beam and bars? Zhang Qingying (CHN), Ke Qinqin (CHN), Qiu Qiyuan (CHN) and Du Siyu (CHN), plus Korea’s Hwang Seohyun (KOR) and Ireland’s Emma Slevin (IRL).
- Beam preview: Zhang, Ke, Hwang, Kaylia Nemour (ALG), and for the fans, Manila Esposito (ITA) and Saraiva.
HEADLINES
- China’s men: we discuss reports that 2021 world all-around champion Zhang Boheng (CHN) is off the roster for Rotterdam.
- In case you missed Behind The Scenes: Shilese Jones (USA) is officially aiming for a 2027 comeback, with Worlds as her goal.
WORLDS COVERAGE
- 2026 World Championship Headquarters: the full schedule in your time zone and the leaderboard of the top international scores of 2026
- Worlds Roster Tracker and the Elite Score Explorer
- Catch up: 2026 Worlds Preview Part 1: Team USA, Kaylia Nemour & Japan and Behind The Scenes: Off to Rotterdam!
CHAPTERS
00:00 – Welcome + Sand & Sea Travel
01:15 – Worlds schedule and what’s on the line
02:24 – The age of Andrade and Melnikova
05:23 – Subdivision 6: France and Malaysia
11:35 – Live shows: Rotterdam and NYC with Katelyn Ohashi
12:06 – Subdivision 7: Great Britain and the Netherlands
20:00 – Man Break: the men’s all-around
27:50 – Carlos Yulo, Casimir Schmidt and an upside-down iron cross
33:06 – Updates: Worlds HQ leaderboard and the Worlds Bundle
35:47 – Subdivision 8: Russia (AIN), Canada and Spain
43:43 – Subdivision 9: Brazil and Switzerland
48:18 – Vault preview
51:13 – Subdivision 10: China and South Korea
1:00:52 – Beam preview
1:03:33 – See you in Rotterdam
UP NEXT
- Daily podcasts from Rotterdam start October 15 after women’s podium training, with live Q&A for Club Gym Nerd members after every day of competition
- Live shows: Rotterdam, Saturday October 24 after event finals, with Bart Deurloo (NED) and Eythora Thorsdottir (NED); New York City, Friday December 4, with Katelyn Ohashi (USA). Streaming and in-person tickets at gymcastic.com
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GYMCASTIC TOOLS, GAMES AND RESOURCES
- *NEW* ROTTERDAM WORLDS ROSTER TRACKER
- Find out who’s competing in the 2026 World Championships — search WAG and MAG by name or country, find out how they qualified and link to their score rankings. Updated daily.
- GymCastic tools:
- LA 2028 Roster Lab — Now with auto-fill highest-scoring team, team comparisons and updated roster briefs.
- Elite Score Explorer — U.S. Championships scores are in, plus new charting options and the vault bonus toggle.
- International Gymnastics Calendar
- GymCastic Games
- GymCastic Newsletters
- The Balance Beam Situation: Spencer Barnes’ GIF Code of Points
- Gymnastics History: Gymnastics history and Code of Points archive from Uncle Tim
- Resistance Resources
Cover art © GymCastic / Steve Cooper. All rights reserved
