Former champion Angelina Melnikova stars in her return to the world gymnastics championships
Angelina Melnikova is back.
The Russian star began her return to major international competition after a lengthy hiatus by putting up the top qualifying scores in the all-around and on vault at the world gymnastics championships.
Melnikova, the 2021 world all-around champion and a four-time Olympic medalist, posted an all-around total of 54.566. Sugihara Aiko of Japan qualified second at 54.099 with Olympic uneven bars champion Kaylia Nemour of Algeria third at 53.865.
The 25-year-old Melnikova hadn’t competed at a major event since the 2021 worlds after the International Gymnastics Federation banned Russian and Belarussian athletes from competing as part of the fallout of Russia’s war with Ukraine. Melnikova was granted Authorized Neutral Athlete status by the FIG this year.
Melnikova will lead the 24-woman field into Thursday night’s all-around finals, a group that includes Americans Dulcy Caylor and Leanne Wong. Caylor, a 17-year-old competing at worlds for the first time, qualified fifth in the all-around and also reached the finals on floor exercise and balance beam.
Wong, a four-time world championship medalist and the runner-up to Melnikova in the all-around at the 2021 worlds, qualified ninth.
Skye Blakely of the U.S. reached the finals on uneven bars while Joscelyn Roberson advanced to the finals on vault. The event finals will be held later in the competition.
Nemour, who soared to gold on bars at the Paris Olympics, scored a 15.333 on her signature event, the highest score on any apparatus during qualifying. Zhang Qingying of China led the way on beam with a 14.366 while Sabrina Voinea of Romania led qualifying on floor exercise with a 13.666.
Canada’s Ellie Black, 30, competing at the world championships for an eighth time, reached the finals on balance beam. Black is a four-time world championship medalist and the most decorated Canadian female gymnast of all time.
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