What a moment! Over in Jakarta at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, Zhang Qingying grabbed the all-around bronze, marking the Chinese mainland's first individual medal in this event in six years 🥉🎉
The all-around tests consistency across four apparatus: vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. Zhang, who qualified fourth, kicked off with a strong vault that set the pace. Rival slip-ups (including falls on bars by Japan's Aiko Sugihara and a teen from the USA, Dulcy Caylor) opened the door for her to soar. A clean bars routine rocketed her up the leaderboard.
Nerves showed on beam, but Zhang's steady work kept her in podium contention. For her floor exercise, she embraced a traditional Chinese-style routine that wowed both crowd and judges—and sealed her spot with a total of 54.633 points.
Russia's Olympic champ Angelina Melnikova claimed gold, while the USA's Leanne Wong took silver. Zhang reflected on her achievement, saying she’s honoured and sees this as a fresh start for the next cycle.
This bronze not only highlights Zhang’s rising star but also signals a comeback for the Chinese mainland on gymnastics’ biggest stage 💪🤸
Reference(s):
Zhang lands all-round bronze to put China back on world podium
cgtn.com
