As we move closer to the World Championships in Nanning, China, the excitement and tension are building all around the world! We’ve already taken a look at some of the top female contenders, including Aliya Mustafina (RUS), Yao Jinnan (CHN), and of course 2013 gold and silver AA medalists Simone Biles and Kyla Ross (USA). But there are many other noteworthy gymnasts from different countries, and we’d like to take a moment to highlight a few of them here! We'll review the men's field later this week.

 

Larisa Iordache (ROU): Iordache is undoubtedly one of the top contenders in the AA race this October, and she will be a strong leader for the Romanian team. At the 2013 World Championships in Antwerp, she took home a bronze on floor and placed 4th in the AA behind Russia’s Mustafina. Since then, she has gone on to win the Glasgow World Cup AA title, silver at the Stuttgart World Cup, a team gold and 3 individual medals at the 2014 European Championships, and 3 individual golds at the 2014 Doha World Cup. Larisa is especially stunning on balance beam (where she often includes two fulls in her jam-packed routine!) and on floor exercise. Expect her name to be near the top of the board in the AA final as well as several event finals.

 

Claudia Fragapane (GBR): Fragapane burst onto the international scene this summer as she played a key role for Team England during the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Not only was she part of the gold-winning English team, but she also claimed the AA title as well as vault and floor titles. At the 2014 British Championships, she nabbed bronze in the AA and on bars, along with silver on vault. We fell in love with her powerful style during the Commonwealth Games and expect this 16-year old to come on strong in Nanning, especially after the high of her fabulous performance in Glasgow!

 

Ellie Black (CAN): Black will be a strong leader on the Canadian team, bringing Olympic and World Championship experience along with plenty of hardware on the international level. In 2014 alone, she has racked up three medals at the Pacific Rim Championships (including a team silver, gold on VT, and bronze in AA), the Canadian national titles in AA and on bars, and a 3-medal haul at the Commonwealth Games (including gold on balance beam, silver on vault, and bronze on floor). Back in April at the 2014 Pacific Rim Championships, she mentioned that she was happy to compete with a team again for the first time since 2012. She will have another opportunity to set an example for some of the younger Canadian athletes in Nanning, not only during the team competition, but also in the individual medal hunt.

 

Vanessa Ferrari (ITA): As the 2006 AA World champion and one of the most veteran gymnasts on the podium, Ferrari brings tons of experience and plenty of power as she continues to compete in the international field. Ferrari finished 6th in the AA competition at the 2013 World Championship and took home the silver on floor exercise. She recently won the Italian Golden League competition with a total AA score of 58.200 and silver medals in the uneven bars and balance beam finals. She is incredibly powerful, a trait which she displays beautifully via difficult tumbling on floor exercise. You can never rule out Vanessa Ferrari when it comes to international competition, so expect to hear her name come up!

 

Oksana Chusovitina (UZB): As one of my all-time favorite gymnasts, I simply couldn’t leave Chusovitina off this list! At 39 years old, she will by far be the oldest competitor on the women’s side, but she amazes the world time and again with her power and longevity in the sport! She is the only female gymnast in history to have competed in six Olympic Games, and her resume also boasts 13 World Championship appearances to date. She continues to plow ahead again this year in Nanning, where we expect to see her vying for a ninth individual medal in the vault finals.

 

Asuka Teramoto (JPN): Teramoto competed at the 2012 Olympics and was the 9th-place AA finisher at the 2013 Worlds; she is one of Japan's top athletes and will certainly act as a leader on that squad. Although she finished fourth at the 2014 Japanese Individual Championships after a disappointing floor performance, she scored an impressive 14.90 on uneven bars in order to take the gold medal on that event. As one of the smaller gymnasts in the field, she excels on the bars and is definitely one to watch in Nanning.

 

Noemi Makra (HUN): Makra is a small, seemingly quiet athlete who often flies under the radar of the bigger names on the podium, but she brings a lot of talent to the Hungarian team. She is particularly impressive on uneven bars, where her long lines and beautiful form are a judges’ favorite. A relatively young athlete, this is her second year at the senior level. In 2013, she finished 14th in the Worlds AA final and was the first reserve for the floor finals. During the 2014 season, she has earned two medals at the Cottbus World Cup (bronze on uneven bars and gold on balance beam), silver on uneven bars at the Osijek World Cup, and a CLEAN SWEEP of the Hungarian National Championships! She is an athlete on the rise, and we hope to see her continue this trend in Nanning.

Roxana Popa (ESP): Popa, who grew up in Romania but holds Spanish citizenship, is an undisputed standout on the Spanish team! At the 2013 Worlds in Antwerp, she finished 12th in the AA final but unfortunately missed out on event finals. She will be looking to improve on this performance after a strong 2014 season (which has included 4 gold and 1 silver medal at the Spanish National Championships, appearances in the bars and floor finals at the European Championships, a 6th place showing at the AT&T American Cup, and the silver AA medal at the Tokyo World Cup). Her floor routine in particular is a joy to watch, as she performs a unique second pass of RO-whip-whip-bhs-bhs- full twisting double tuck and several other powerful tumbling skills.

Jessica Lopez (VEN): Another long-time competitor on the international scene, Lopez is an experienced athlete from whom we’ve come to expect great things. She will come to Nanning with the results of the recent Pan Am Senior Championships fresh on her mind. Despite winning three silver medals (in the AA, BB, and FX), she did not perform her best during the uneven bars final and will certainly be looking to redeem herself on this, one of her most impressive events. She qualified in 11th place for the AA finals in Antwerp last year but did not compete in the remaining competitions due to injury, so this year will be another chance for the Venezuelan to earn her first medal at a World Championship.


Related:
2014 Worlds Nominative List
USA Worlds Team