The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has released the names of gymnasts expected to appear at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships to be held between October 23 and November 1 in Glasgow (click here).
With almost 600 registered athletes, Gymnastics Worlds have never before attracted such participation. These Championships are of particular importance in this pre-Olympic year as the quest for gold will also double as a race for qualification for the Rio 2016 Games.
Undefeated in the All-around competition since his first triumph in London in 2009, Kohei Uchimura (JPN) will look to continue his incredible run in Glasgow. With five consecutive world titles punctuated by the Olympic title, the Japanese master is already regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time. But with the help of Yusuke Tanaka, Ryohei Kato and Kenzo Shirai in particular he dreams of winning his first team gold medal, the same medal snatched by the Chinese last year by just one tenth of a point.
These championships will see the return to the international stage of Gabrielle Douglas (USA), Olympic champion in 2012, who took a long break after the London Games. In her absence, the staring role has been taken by her compatriot Simone Biles, who will be vying for a third consecutive title in Glasgow. The USA can rely on their two champions and also on Alexandra Raisman, Olympic champion on Floor, to try and hold on to the women’s team title.
Russia registered its three London Olympic heroines; Viktoria Komova and Alyia Mustafina, silver and bronze medallists respectively in the All-around competition, and Maria Paseka, as well as the star of the 2014 Youth Olympics, Seda Tutkhalian.
All the 2014 individual World Champions have the chance to defend their titles with the exception of Chinese Yao Jinnan, gold medallist on Uneven Bars in Nanning (CHN) last year. Among them will be 2012 Olympic champions, Epke Zonderland (NED/Horizontal Bar) and Krisztian Berki (HUN/Pommel Horse) who dominated much of the Olympiad on their favorite apparatus.
Other Olympic and World Championships medallists will be battling it out for podium places in Glasgow including Catalina Ponor (ROU), star of Athens 2004, Larisa Iordache (ROU), Hong Un Jong (PRK) and Vanessa Ferrari (ITA) for the women, and Arthur Zanetti (BRA), ‘king of the rings’ in London, Marcel Nguyen (GER) and Danell Leyva (USA), silver and bronze medallists in the Olympic All-around contest respectively, Fabian Hambuechen (GER), Max Whitlock (GBR), Louis Smith (GBR), Denis Ablyazin (RUS), Oleg Verniaiev (UKR) and Igor Radivilov (UKR).
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