Lefteris Petrounias will compete in his eighth world rings final after holding on to a place in the top eight of qualifying at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam with a score of 14.033.
The Greek champion had performed his routine on Saturday and had to wait until all qualifying subdivisions were completed on Sunday, October 18, to learn his fate. Despite a landing error that cost him points, he ultimately secured the last ticket to the final. Petrounias received 5.700 for difficulty and 8.333 for execution.
He initially sat in sixth place, but as the remaining athletes competed he slipped to eighth, just inside the qualifying cut.
Azerbaijan’s Nikita Simonov finished ninth with 13.900 and is the first reserve.
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China’s Xingyu Lan posted the top qualifying score of 14.733 with a routine worth 6.000 in difficulty and 8.633 in execution, plus a 0.100 bonus for a stuck landing. He was followed by Russia’s Ilia Zaika on 14.533 and Britain’s Courtney Tulloch on 14.500. Belgium’s Glen Cuyle scored 14.100 to place sixth.
Saturday’s final on October 24, gives Petrounias another chance to reach the podium at the championships. The Greek gymnast has already won three world titles, in 2015, 2017 and 2018, along with a silver medal in 2023, and will look to sharpen his execution, particularly on his dismount.