Russian Angelina Melnikova, who competes under a neutral flag, became world champion in the general artistic gymnastics competition for the second time in her career, this Thursday (23), in Jakarta.
The 25-year-old gymnast, already crowned in 2021, was authorized to compete at this World Cup, but her neutrality was recently questioned by Ukraine, which suspects her proximity to Russian power.
In the absence of American Simone Biles and Brazilian Rebeca Andrade, among other stars, Melnikova dominated the contest with 55,066 points.
She beat American Leanne Wong (54.966 points), silver, by a tenth, while Chinese Zhang Qingying (54.633 points) took bronze.
Melnikova thus makes a triumphant return to the world stage. She was world champion in the general competition in 2021, a few months after winning team gold at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Then he disappeared from major international competitions due to Russia’s suspension following the invasion of Ukraine.
Melnikova’s neutrality is questioned by Ukraine, which denounces that she has a license from CSKA, a club owned by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
At the end of May, she stood for the United Russia party primaries, winning the election without formally joining the party. He then announced on social media that he was resigning because he was unable to combine his sports training with an election campaign.
She is also criticized for having supported the conflict in Ukraine on her social networks.
