What we learned from the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships and Paris 2024 Olympic qualifier in Antwerp
The 2023 Worlds provided many magical moments. From Simone Biles' five gold medals to newcomers to watch out for at Paris 2024, here are some of the key takeaways from the week-long competition in Antwerp.
Artistic Gymnastics
The 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships provided nine days of thrilling competition, crowned new champions, welcomed the return of an icon, history-making moments and provided 57 Olympic qualifying berths for Paris 2024.
Here’s what we learned from the week-long competition in Antwerp.
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As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
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Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport
Simone Biles extends GOATness
In non-news news, Simone Biles extended her GOATness, claiming five more medals at the Belgium arena in which she made her World Championships debut almost exactly 10 years ago. The then 16-year-old won four medals including the all-around and floor exercise titles; a decade later, five medals were secured, including four gold.
On claiming the silver medal on vault in Antwerp on Saturday (7 October), Biles secured her 34th medal in World and Olympic competition, the most achieved by a gymnast in the history of the sport, surpassing the 33 achieved by Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo.
After the culmination of the competition on Sunday (8 October), in which Biles claimed beam and floor gold, that figure extended to 37.
The American now has 30 World Championships medals, comprising 23 gold, four silver and three bronze.
World champions crowned
The reigning world and Olympic vault champion, Rebeca Andrade, defended her title, only just beating Biles, despite the Houston resident falling on her eponymously named vault, the Biles II. The difficulty score was so rewarding on the Yurchenko double pike that the American still placed second to the Brazilian. Andrade also claimed silver in the team event, all-around and floor, and bronze on beam behind People's Republic of China's Zhou Yaqin.
Zhou's compatriot Qiu Qiyuan secured the bars title ahead of Algeria's Kaylia Nemour who became the first African gymnast to win a world championship medal.
The titles were rather more spread out in the men's competition. Olympic all-around champion Daiki Hashimoto defended his World all-around gold and also added the World high bar titles to his Olympic gong. The Narita-born gymnast also helped his Japanese team secure a first World team gold since 2015.
China, who fielded a weaker team due to a number of their gymnasts including the all-around champion from 2021, Zhang Boheng and Zou Jingyuan, the reigning Olympic champion on parallel bars, competing in the delayed Asian Games, came second. The United States claimed a first World or Olympic team medal since 2014.
Israel's Artem Dolgopyat added the World floor title to his Olympic gold. Pommel horse top spot went to Ireland's Rhys McClenaghan, who defended his title from 2022, competing against Britain's reigning Olympic champion Max Whitlock, who recently returned from a lengthy time out. Rings was a head-to-head between Olympic champion Liu Yang and three-time world champion Eleftherios Petrounias, aka, Lord of the Rings, with the Chinaman besting the Greek this time out. Britain's Jake Jarman won a first World title on vault competing an incredibly difficult 3.5 twisting Yurchenko, while Lukas Dauser of Germany finally won gold on the parallel bars after claiming two World and one Olympic silver on the apparatus.
Fred Richard
Newcomers arise
Those new to the World gymnastics scene who made a splash include Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, the 16-year-old holding her nerve in performing the last routine in the women's competition. The Romanian just missed out on a floor medal, securing fourth behind Biles, Andrade and her super excitable compatriot and fan favourite, Flavia Saraiva.
The men's US team wowed the crowd with confident, difficult routines with secure landings. Along with team bronze, Fred Richard won bronze in the all-around behind Daiki and Ukraine's Illia Kovtun, and Khoi Young bagged silver on pommel horse and vault.
Paris 2024 qualifiers
And then to the little matter of qualification berths for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
57 spots were available and secured in four ways.
The top nine teams in Antwerp, joined the three already qualified from 2022 Worlds to make up the 12 nations competing in Paris.
In the women’s competition, the United States, Great Britain, and Canada had already qualified five-person team berths courtesy of podium finishes at the 2022 edition in Liverpool.
They will be joined by People’s Republic of China, Brazil, Italy, Netherlands, France, Japan, Australia, Romania, and Republic of Korea.
In the men’s competition, People’s Republic of China, Japan and Great Britain had already qualified five-person team berths at the UK-hosted championships. They will be joined by the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Türkiye, Netherlands and Ukraine.
The three highest ranked eligible NOC’s in the team qualifications, who didn’t obtain a team quota, were allocated an individual spot.
Women: Germany, Mexico, Hungary
Men: Brazil, Republic of Korea, Belgium
Eight men and 15 women, who hadn’t already qualified through other means, obtained quotas allocated by name – to be confirmed by their NOC – in the all-around competition.
Milad Karimi (KAZ), Artem Dolgopyat (ISR), Artur Davtyan (ARM), Krisztofer Meszaros (HUN), Lee Junho (KOR), Diogo Soares (BRA), Luka Van Den Keybus (BEL) and Andrei Vasile Muntean (ROU).
For women,15 gymnasts joined the trip to France’s capital next year.
Kaylia Nemour (ALG), Pauline Schaefer-Betz (GER), Alexa Moreno (MEX), Filipa Martins (POR), Aleah Finnegan (PHI), Bettina Lili Czifra (HUN), Alba Petisco (ESP), Anna Lashchevska (UKR), Lena Bickel (SUI), Hillary Heron (PAN), Caitlin Rooskrantz (RSA), Sona Artamonova (CZE), Lihie Raz (ISR) and Lucija Hribar (SLO). Rifda Irfanaluthfi (INA) secured the host country spot due to France women qualifying a full team.
The top gymnast on each apparatus in Antwerp, who hadn’t already qualified berths via other means also secured spots for four women and six men, to be ratified by their nation.
Women: Csenge Maria Bacskay (HUN) on vault, Ahtziri Sandoval (MEX) on uneven bars, Ana Pérez (ESP) on balance beam, Sarah Voss (GER) on floor exercise.
Men: Carlos Yulo (PHI) on floor exercise, Rhys McClenaghan (IRL) on pommel horse, Eleftherios Petrounias (GRE) on rings, Kevin Penev (BUL) on vault, Noah Kuavita (BEL) on parallel bars, and Tin Srbic (CRO) on horizontal bar.
For our full list of results from the competition, including the names of those who obtained quotas for their NOCs, click here.
Are there any more Olympic berths available?
Yes.
The 2024 World Cup Series will also offer two quotas per gender for each apparatus.
The host country berth for France is still to be decided in the men's event. There will also be one quota for both men and women allocated to the Universality Place, which will be decided by the Tripartite Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The final quotas will be earned at the 2024 Continental Championships in the all-around events. Five athletes of each gender will obtain one quota each.