Angelina Melnikova, a neutral athlete from Russia, edged American Leanne Wong to win the world all-around gymnastics title by one tenth of a point.
Melnikova, third going into the last rotation (but just .133 out of first), scored a clutch 13.466 on floor exercise, which was .366 higher than she scored in qualifying.
Before her score came up, she did not think it would be enough to overtake Wong.
“I had some mistakes on my turns, and that’s why I wondered what the score would be,” Melnikova said, according to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). “Honestly, I thought I would be second.”
GYMNASTICS WORLDS: Results | Broadcast Schedule
Melnikova was crucially given a one tenth penalty for going out of bounds with one foot on floor rather than a possible three tenths penalty had her second foot gone out. She rebounded from a balance beam fall in the third of four rotations.
Melnikova also won the 2021 World all-around title over Wong (by .292). This year’s margin was the closest since American Morgan Hurd won in 2017, also by one tenth.
Melnikova had not been to a global championship since the 2021 Worlds as athletes from Russia were banned from competition shortly after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine until the start of 2024.
Melnikova was approved to compete as an individual neutral athlete by the FIG in early 2025. She withdrew her candidacy for a political office in July to maintain that eligibility.
Wong rallied from fourth place going into her last routine — and 1.1 points behind third place — to extend an American podium streak to 23 years.
Wong, 22, hit a difficult Cheng vault to move past China’s Zhang Qingying and Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour, who ended up in third and fourth.
Wong chose to compete the Cheng rather than a double-twisting Yurchenko vault that has six tenths fewer in difficulty.
That gave Wong a strong chance to overtake all three, including Melnikova — who all finished on floor exercise, where they were expected to score lower — if she hit the Cheng.
Wong, an Olympic alternate in Tokyo and Paris, performed it well, taking just one step back on her landing.
She did so one day after finishing three assignments toward her University of Florida master’s degree.
“Of course it’s disappointing to see your name go to second place, but overall I’m happy with the competition,” Wong said, according to the FIG. “I just take it a competition at a time, and I was happy to make it to the Worlds and to be winning a medal.”
Wong runner-up to Melnikova at gymnastics worlds
Leanne Wong (54.966) slightly was edged by Angelina Melnikova (55.066), a neutral athlete from Russia, swiping silver in the women’s all-around competition at the 2025 World Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia
At least one U.S. woman made the all-around podium at every Olympics and World Championships dating to 2003 — a span of 23 consecutive global championships.
That streak was in jeopardy given the absences of Olympic all-around gold medalists Simone Biles and Suni Lee, who are on indefinite breaks from competition, and U.S. all-around champion Hezly Rivera, who is out due to an ankle injury.
Dulcy Caylor, the top American in qualifying (fifth), ended up 13th after falls on uneven bars and balance beam.
Caylor, from Biles’ gym, went from 13th at the 2024 Olympic Trials to eighth at the 2025 U.S. Championships to win the all-around at a Sept. 30 selection competition to make her first worlds.
Worlds continue Friday with the first of two days of individual apparatus finals (3 a.m. ET, Peacock).
2025 World Gymnastics Championships Results: Women’s All-Around
Gold: Angelina Melnikova (AIN) — 55.066
Silver: Leanne Wong (USA) — 54.966
Bronze: Zhang Qingying (CHN) — 54.633
4. Kaylia Nemour (ALG) — 54.564
5. Asia D’Amato (ITA) — 53.532
6. Rina Kishi (JPN) — 52.232
7. Aiko Sugihara (JPN) — 52.132
8. Abigail Martin (GBR) — 52.998
9. Naomi Visser (NED) — 52.299
10. Ruby Evans (GBR) — 52.066
Skye Blakely was a contender to make the 2024 Olympic team before an injury she called heartbreaking.
