Artur Avetisyan wins historic bronze on still rings at 2026 World Championships — Armenia's third medal of the day
- Author: Vahe Hakobyan
- Sportaran
Armenian gymnast Artur Avetisyan has won a bronze medal at the 2026 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The 28-year-old finished third in the men's still rings final with a score of 14.233 points.
This is a historic achievement for Armenian gymnastics: Avetisyan has become the first gymnast representing independent Armenia to win a World Championships medal on still rings.
The final took place on October 24. Interestingly, Avetisyan matched his qualification score of 14.233 points. While that mark had placed him fourth in the qualifying round, it was enough to secure a place on the podium in the final.
China's Lan Xingyu claimed the world title with a score of 14.766 points. Olympic champion Eleftherios Petrounias of Greece took silver with 14.333 points. Avetisyan therefore missed out on second place by just 0.100 points.
2026 World Championships still rings final results
-
Lan Xingyu (China) — 14.766
-
Eleftherios Petrounias (Greece) — 14.333
-
Artur Avetisyan (Armenia) — 14.233
The best season of Artur Avetisyan's career
The year 2026 has been a genuine breakthrough for the Armenian gymnast. Avetisyan won the European Championships gold medal for the first time in his career, becoming the continent's top gymnast on still rings.
In addition, the Armenian athlete claimed the overall title in the still rings standings of the 2026 World Cup series, collecting a complete set of medals across the individual events: gold in Cottbus, silver in Cairo and bronze in Osijek.
He has now added his first senior World Championships medal to these achievements. Avetisyan has therefore capped off the most successful season of his career at the highest level, firmly establishing himself among the world's leading gymnasts in his discipline.
Three medals for Armenia in a single day
October 24 became one of the most successful days in the history of Armenian artistic gymnastics.
Earlier, 19-year-old Hamlet Manukyan became world champion on pommel horse, scoring 15.300 points. Mamikon Khachatryan also secured a bronze medal on the same apparatus with a score of 15.000 points.
As a result, the Armenian national team claimed three World Championships medals in a single day — one gold and two bronze medals.
The World Championships in Rotterdam will conclude on October 25. On the final day of competition, another Armenian gymnast, Olympic medalist and world champion Artur Davtyan, will compete in the men's vault final.