Team China pose during the awarding ceremony for the group all-around final at the 2026 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup Beijing in Beijing, China, June 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese rhythmic gymnasts won both the individual and group all-round golds at the 2026 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup in Beijing on Saturday.
15-year-old rising star Wang Qi staged a stable performance at the National Indoor Stadium and claimed the individual all-round title with 110.80 points, which was the first gold of the event running through Friday to Sunday.
"I'm very excited to have the national anthem played at home. I kept improving myself, but still had shortcomings in dealing with details. I felt delighted to win over Russian athletes. They were really great, and I need to learn a lot from them. I will continue to work hard," said Wang.
Sofiia Ilteriakova of the Russian Federation and Poland's Liliana Lewinska took the all-round silver and bronze, respectively. Another Chinese gymnast, Wang Zilu, was placed fourth after falling short in clubs and ribbon.
The group all-round title was decided by the total score of two events - one is 5 balls, the other is 3 hoops and 2 clubs.
China ranked first in 5 balls on Friday and carried over the momentum to the 3 hoops and 2 clubs on Saturday to seal the win with a total score of 25.15 points. The Russian Federation and Belarus finished second and third, respectively.
The World Challenge Cup will conclude on Sunday with six golds on offer. ■
Team China compete during the 3 hoops and 2 clubs contest of group all-around final at the 2026 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup Beijing in Beijing, China, June 20, 2026. (Photo by Ma Zihan/Xinhua)
Gold medalists team China, silver medalists team Russia and bronze medalists team Belarus pose for group photos during the awarding ceremony for the group all-around final at the 2026 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup Beijing in Beijing, China, June 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
Team Russia compete during the 3 hoops and 2 clubs contest of group all-around final at the 2026 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup Beijing in Beijing, China, June 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Xie Han)
Team China compete during the 3 hoops and 2 clubs contest of group all-around final at the 2026 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup Beijing in Beijing, China, June 20, 2026. (Photo by Ma Zihan/Xinhua)
Team China compete during the 3 hoops and 2 clubs contest of group all-around final at the 2026 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup Beijing in Beijing, China, June 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
Team Russia compete during the 3 hoops and 2 clubs contest of group all-around final at the 2026 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup Beijing in Beijing, China, June 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
Team Belarus compete during the 3 hoops and 2 clubs contest of group all-around final at the 2026 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup Beijing in Beijing, China, June 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
