The women's all-around final in Rotterdam on Friday 23 October will crown a new world champion. Angelina Melnikova, the title holder from 2021 and 2025, was refused a Dutch visa. Simone Biles, the Olympic champion, is not competing. Hezly Rivera, the most experienced all-arounder on the US team, withdrew with an ankle injury. Leanne Wong, silver medallist in Jakarta, is not on the US roster.
That leaves only one member of the 2025 podium in Rotterdam: China's Zhang Qingying.
The contenders
### Zhang Qingying (China) Zhang won all-around bronze in Jakarta after qualifying fourth and hitting all four routines in the final. She also won the world beam title there by 0.866. Her 2026 form is strong but not flawless: all-around silver at the Asian Championships, then fourth at the Asian Games. Beam is her weapon. In a final where one weak apparatus can end a campaign, her consistency over four events is the question.
Kaylia Nemour (Algeria)
Nemour finished fourth in Jakarta, 0.069 behind bronze and 0.502 behind gold, and fifth in the Paris Olympics all-around. Her bars are the best in the world and her beam won silver in Jakarta. Her 2026 season, with the African all-around title and all-around gold at the Mediterranean Games, suggests she is ready to close that gap.
Manila Esposito (Italy)
Esposito has won the European all-around title twice, in 2024 and 2025. She has not yet won an individual world medal, but her balance across all four apparatus suits an all-around final more than an event final.
The Americans
Claire Pease, Skye Blakely and Charleigh Bullock were the top three all-arounders at the US selection event, but none has competed in an all-around at a senior global championship. Only two can reach the final. The US has a streak to protect: a US woman has won an all-around medal at every Olympics and World Championships since 2003, 23 in a row.
Russia's remaining gymnasts
Without Melnikova, Listunova and Kalmykova, the Russian team, competing as a WG team, is much weaker in the all-around than the one that won the European team title in August.
Who is not in the all-around
Rebeca Andrade, the 2022 world all-around champion and Olympic all-around silver medallist, is back in Rotterdam but is not expected to compete on all four apparatus. Her focus is vault and floor.
How to read the final
All-around finals are usually lost rather than won. The gymnast who avoids a fall across four apparatus is often on the podium even with lower difficulty. When the results are in, our results page for the final will break down each gymnast's scores by apparatus and show where the medals were decided.
Women's qualification runs on Sunday 18 and Monday 19 October. The top 24 reach the final, with a maximum of two per nation. Full schedule on our Rotterdam 2026 hub.
