Andrade and Nemour take gold at the World Championships in Rotterdam, Biles watches from the stands

Andrade returns for gold

Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade completed her return to the sport after a two-year break with a victory in the vault final at the World Championships in Rotterdam. The 27-year-old athlete, a two-time Olympic champion on vault and floor exercise, outscored Americans Claire Pease and Skye Blakely, posting 14.466 points — her third world title on her signature apparatus, AFP reports.

The break and the comeback

As Brazil's most decorated Olympian with six medals (two golds, three silvers and a bronze), Andrade took a 22-month pause after the Paris 2024 Games to focus on her physical and mental health. She returned to official competition in June, winning the vault at the Pan American Championships in Rio.

Nemour makes amends on the uneven bars

Algerian gymnast Kaylia Nemour, born in France, made up for her disappointment in the all-around, where she finished fourth on Friday after a vault error. The next day, the 19-year-old won the uneven bars, edging out Germany's Helen Kevric and American Blakely, and defended the title she had won a year earlier in Jakarta. It was this apparatus that brought her Olympic gold in Paris in 2024.

Biles in the arena and Blakely's three medals

The finals took place in front of Simone Biles, who sat in the stands of the Ahoy arena. The seven-time Olympic champion, who won three golds in Paris and has not competed since, admitted she felt nervous in the arena's atmosphere but was glad to be back at a competition. She has not yet decided whether to return for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Skye Blakely, who won the all-around title on Friday and took bronze on the uneven bars, earned three medals in two days — after injuries forced her to miss the 2020 and 2024 Olympics. “She is incredible. Watching her come back and go out there to fight for gold is very inspiring”, said the 29-year-old Biles about her.

Men's finals and Melnikova's absence

Among the men, American Frederick Richard won the floor exercise, beating Britain's Jake Jarman by 0.033 points; Israel's Artem Dolgopyat took third. For the 22-year-old Richard, it is his first world title. On the pommel horse, Armenia's Amlet Manukyan won, finishing ahead of Italy's Gabriele Targetti and compatriot Mamikon Khachatryan. Japan's Daiki Hashimoto, who became world all-around champion on Thursday, was nervous, made a mistake in the final and finished last, in eighth place. Reigning European champion, Russian Angelina Melnikova, did not compete: the Dutch authorities denied her a visa.

Significance

The day's results matter for the balance of power ahead of the Olympic cycle: Andrade's return after a long break and Nemour's second consecutive gold show that the main rivals of the American team are already in form, while Blakely, with three medals in two days, strengthened the US position. In practical terms, this means that an updated lineup of favorites has taken shape ahead of Los Angeles 2028, with the key uncertainty — Biles's participation — still unresolved. A separate factor was an organizational incident: the visa denial to Melnikova deprived the tournament of one of Europe's strongest gymnasts.