Olympic champions Angelina Melnikova, Rebeca Andrade top standings at Gymnastics Worlds

With reigning Olympic and world all-around champions Suni Lee and Simone Biles, respectively, taking a break from elite competition, Olympic team gold medallist Angelina Melnikova knows there is opportunity to be had this week at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan.

She seized the chance Tuesday (19 October), storming to the lead in the all-around standings after posting a 57.065 total score ahead of Team USA's Leanne Wong (55.749) and Kayla DiCello (55.700).

"For me, it's a big deal," Melnikova said after the competition through translation. "This is very important for me, and I will try to do everything the day after tomorrow to make my routines their best."

Melnikova got underway on the vault, performing a double-twisting Yurchenko for a 14.466. She performed a Yurchenko half-on, front layout half off second vault to earn a 13.783 average score.

In the second rotation, she caught the bar slightly close on her Pak salto transition from the high bar to the low bar, causing her to break form on her transition back up to the high bar. She recovered to perform a clean Jaeger catch-and-release element and full-twisting double back dismount for another 14.466 mark.

Melnikova delivered one of her best-ever competitive efforts on the balance beam, moving confidently through her elements. After nearly sticking her double pike, the 21-year-old clasped her hands over her heart and beamed with delight. She scored 14.033.

"I haven't been to the final on the beam in about six years," she said. "I tried to get there every time, but I never managed to. I realized after I performed that I could make the final - I was just happy it happened."

She closed out her competition with a 14.100 on the floor exercise. The routine meant the Tokyo 2020 gold winner will advance to all five medal rounds in Kitakyushu.

"I feel so happy today. I'm really happy that I did everything that I wanted, but for the last apparatus, I was so tired, I couldn't run in my floor routine," Melnikova said in English. "It was so difficult."

Rebeca Andrade in strong form

Fellow Olympic gold medallist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil leads the standings on the vault, where she took gold in Tokyo, and uneven bars. She announced earlier this week that she would not participate in the floor exercise to protect her health for future competitions. That decision means she won't contend in the all-around final, the event in which she won silver at the 2020 Olympic Games.

“I’m really happy because I did everything I’ve been doing in training in the competition,” Andrade said afterward through translation.

China's Luo Rui leads the balance beam with a 14.566 score, while 2017 world floor champion Murakami Mai's 14.166 leads the floor results.

In the opening rotation, Andrade vaulted a Cheng (round off on the board, half turn on to the table, front one-and-a-half off). Despite a hop out of the area, which incurred a .3 penalty, the vault was much improved from Saturday’s training session, and she scored 14.900. Her second vault, a double-twisting Yurchenko, earned 14.700, giving her a 14.800 average score.

“I feel better today. I am more adapted to the atmosphere, the equipment, the gym," said Andrade. "I’m still training to improve the vault, but I’m really happy that I did better than in podium training.”

Her uneven bars was nearly flawless, topping out the handstand in her opening combo. She moved effortlessly from bar-to-bar en route to a 15.100 on the event. That mark is the highest on any event of the worlds in the women’s qualifying.

On the balance beam, Andrade had some wobbles throughout but managed a 13.400 score, tied with Murakami for ninth place. Both advanced to the final due to matching executing and difficulty scores, which are used to break ties, and the two-per-country limit that eliminated the third best American, Konnor McClain.

Despite her recent success, Andrade, 22, says competition has a familiar feeling.

“I feel the same after the Olympics and now at the Worlds, it’s always the same feeling: trying to do my best in competition, doing what I do in training,” Andrade said.

Zhang Boheng leads as men's competition gets underway

The first two of eight subdivisions for the men were also completed on Tuesday (19 October) with China's Zhang Boheng, who missed out on Tokyo 2020 despite winning the final Olympic trials event, leading the way in the all-around standings. His 87.897 total is nearly four points clear of his teammate Shi Cong, who earned 83.898. Ukraine's Illia Kovtun is third at 83.565.

In the individual apparatus standings, a Chinese athlete leads on four of the six events with Weng Hao's massive 15.600 topping the pommel horse standings. Lan Xingyu (15.266), Zhang (15.300) and Hu Xuwei (14.533) lead on the still rings, parallel bars and high bar respectively. Kovtun leads the floor exercise with a 14.333, while teammate Nazar Chepurnyi's 14.833 is the mark to beat on the vault.

The final six groups begin Wednesday at 9:20 a.m. local time, featuring the athletes from Japan including Olympic gold medallists Hashimoto Daiki and Uchimura Kohei.