American Brody Malone won gold in the horizontal bar competition Saturday at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, the second world title in the event for the two-time Olympian and his biggest individual feat since his return last year from a major knee injury.
Malone had the most difficult routine and tied for the highest execution score of the final to win with a 14.933. Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto took silver with a 14.733. Great Britain’s Joe Fraser won bronze with a 14.700.
Malone, 25, won the 2022 world title in the event during his best season at the senior level. But a knee injury in 2023 that required multiple surgeries had him learning how to walk again and unsure of his future in the sport.
He did make it back, and in 2024 won the all-around title at the U.S. national championships and was named to the U.S. Olympic team. The Americans won team bronze in Paris, with Malone competing in five of the six events.
First up Saturday in Jakarta, Indonesia, Malone posted a clean routine and then watched as all seven other finalists came up short after him. That included the 24-year-old Hashimoto, who won his third straight all-around world title earlier this week and was the Olympic champion in the horizontal bar in Tokyo four years ago.
Back to the World title!#ARTWorlds2025 #Gymnastics https://t.co/m7yiZnvf3F pic.twitter.com/NxGkCzPfLD
— FIG (@gymnastics) October 25, 2025
The horizontal bar was one of five events on the final day of the competition. In the men’s vault, Carlos Edriel Yulo of the Philippines won gold with a 14.866, beating out Artur Davtyan of Armenia (14.833) and Nazar Chepurnyi of Ukraine (14.483). It’s the third world title for Yulo, 25, who was the Olympic gold medalist in vault and floor last summer in Paris.
On the balance beam, China’s Zhang Qingying posted a 15.166 to win gold. The 18-year-old was also the all-around bronze medalist in the all-around competition. Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour won her second medal of the competition, taking silver with a 14.300. Japan’s Aiko Sugihara earned bronze with a 14.166. American Dulcy Caylor finished eighth.
Five-time Olympic medalist Zou Jingyuan of China won parallel bars gold with a 15.300, topping Japan’s Tomoharu Tsunogai (14.500) and Daniel Marinov (14.466), a Russian competing as a neutral athlete. American Donnell Whittenburg, who won gold on the still rings Friday for his first world title and first world championships medal in 10 years, finished fifth (14.233).
Sugihara made it two medals in two competitions Saturday, taking gold in the women’s floor exercise with a 13.833. They are the first two major international medals for the 26-year-old. Great Britain filled out the podium — Ruby Evans earned silver (13.666), and Abigail Martin took bronze (13.466). Caylor was sixth with a 12.966.
Several of the top gymnasts, particularly on the women’s side, were absent from this year’s worlds, as it’s common to take a year off following Olympic competition.
