Gymnastics World Championships: Qualifying Day in Rotterdam

The gymnastics world championships opened Saturday in Rotterdam with the first day of men’s qualifying — and the first opportunity for men’s and women’s programs to secure spots at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The top three teams from the Tuesday, Oct. 20 final will book their places for LA28. The remaining nine spots in the Olympic field will be decided at next year’s world championships in Chengdu, China.

Russia Competes as “WG2” Alongside Ukraine

Subdivision 2 produced the day’s most watched pairing: Russia and Ukraine competing side by side in the same qualifying session, drawn together alongside Korea and Cyprus. Out of deference to the Dutch hosts, Russia is being identified by the designation “WG2.”

The Russians shook off travel and visa complications to start strongly, scoring 42.099 on high bar — more than a full point better than the best total from the first qualifying session. The group includes junior world all-around champion Arsenii Dukhno and 2025 world parallel bars bronze medalist Daniel Marinov.

US Men Chase LA28 Spots Against Japan

The American men, led by Frederick Richard and Danila Leykin, close out the day in the final subdivision alongside Japan, Great Britain and Australia. Japan enters as the reigning Olympic and world champion, while Britain just claimed the European title.

The US men are the reigning Olympic and world bronze medalists, with Richard the lone holdover from those squads. Qualifying sessions are streaming live on EuroVision Sport, with Peacock taking over streaming for the finals.

Source: USA Today