Japan's Women Lead the Podium in Essen
The women's artistic gymnastics competition at the 2025 FISU World University Games concluded in Essen, Germany with Japan setting the pace across the three competition days and China adding uneven bars gold in the apparatus finals. From July 24 to July 26, the event featured a decisive team final, an all-around podium anchored by Japan, and apparatus finals that kept medals moving across several programs.
Competition Highlights
- Women's team gold goes to Japan
- Shoko Miyata wins AA ahead of teammate Mana Okamura, as Tonya Paulsson representing Chinese Taipei claims AA bronze
- Spain and France complete the team podium, with South Korea close behind in fourth
- Apparatus golds split between Japan and China, including bars champion Yang Fanyuwei
- Execution scores in medal routines sit mostly in the 8.0–8.8 range on uneven bars, beam and floor
Team Final: Japan's Balanced Approach
Japan's women delivered a collective performance without major errors, finishing with a 163.850 total to claim team gold. Strong numbers on every event, including 42.300 on balance beam, created clear separation at the top of the standings. Spain took silver with 151.750 and France earned bronze with 150.650, while South Korea finished fourth just 0.150 behind the podium.
All-Around Final: Miyata in Control
Japan's Shoko Miyata captured the all-around title with 54.266, ahead of teammate Mana Okamura (52.866) and Chinese Taipei's Tonya Paulsson (52.065). Miyata stayed steady across four events, highlighted by 13.633 on uneven bars and 13.600 on floor, and never left much room for the field to close the gap.
Event Finals: Multiple Nations on Top
Vault and floor belonged to Miyata, who won vault with a 13.699 average and later added floor gold with 13.700. On uneven bars, China's Yang Fanyuwei posted 15.000 to win the title ahead of Hungary's Zoja Szekely, while balance beam went to Ashikawa Urara of Japan with 14.166, with Paulsson and Germany's Emma Malewski rounding out the podium.
Performance Indicators
Execution scores in medal-winning routines generally stayed in the low to mid-8s on uneven bars, balance beam and floor, while vault medalists worked from difficulty values between 4.2 and 5.0. That level of scoring stability at a multi-sport event points to strong preparation and routine management from the top university programs.