China Wins First Youth Olympic Mixed Team Gymnastics Gold Medal

China secured the first-ever youth Olympic gold medal in the mixed team gymnastics event on Wednesday at the Dakar Exhibition Center in Diamniadio, Senegal.

Twelve pairs competed in the mixed team final. Each team had one male and one female gymnast who maintained fixed partnerships across three rounds without substitutions.

The format eliminated scores between rounds. It used a 12-to-8 cut in the first round, an 8-to-4 cut in the second, and a final round to determine the medals.

The opening round exposed the elimination format. Russian athlete Daniil Smirnov had won the men’s individual all-around crown on November 10. He slipped on the high bar and scored 11.533 points.

That error dropped the Russian pair to last place with 24.499 points. They were eliminated alongside British, Canadian, and French competitors.

In the final round, Chen Ziyan delivered 13.866 points on the balance beam. Japan’s Kazuki Nishihara scored 13.900 on the high bar.

Japanese gymnast Yume Minamino needed a clean routine on the uneven bars to keep gold in sight. She sat down on the apparatus and scored 12.066 points.

Yang Lanbin closed the competition with a steady floor exercise routine scored at 13.966. That sealed the championship for China with a total of 27.832 points.

Coach Zhang said that the team focused on stability. They paired the athletes in their strongest individual events for the closing rotation to pressure their final opponents.

Japan claimed the silver medal, and Israel secured the bronze.

The mixed team victory followed traditional men’s and women’s team finals held on November 9 at the Dakar Exhibition Center. China swept both group gold medals.

The men’s squad comprised of Yang Lanbin, Li Lezong, and Zhaoyang Zhao totaled 158.463 points in floor exercise, parallel bars, and horizontal bar to outpace Japan and Britain.

Zhaoyang Zhao, representing Shandong’s Gaomi City, contributed 40.265 points across floor exercise, pommel horse, and vault.

Today’s competition went very smoothly, and everyone let go of their nerves.

In the women’s team final on November 9, Chen Ziyan, Zhong Qi, and Xie Guying edged Japan by a 0.234-point margin to take the title with a total of 107.798 points.

The most important thing in a team competition is for everyone to work together and cooperate with each other.

On November 10, the individual all-around medals were decided. Zhong Qi captured the women’s all-around bronze medal with a total that placed her behind gold medalist Polina Dmitrieva and silver medalist Luana Frisson of France.

In the men’s all-around final, Yang Lanbin finished fourth behind gold medalist Daniil Smirnov, silver medalist Choudhury, and bronze medalist Kazuki Nishihara.

The mixed team discipline where China won gold on November 11 is scheduled to make its official debut on the Olympic program at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

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