Women's artistic gymnastics is the best-known discipline in the sport and the one most people picture when they hear the word gymnastics. Gymnasts compete on four apparatus, and each one rewards a different mix of power, precision and artistry.
The four apparatus
### Vault A sprint down the runway, a take-off from the springboard, a push from the vaulting table and a flight that can include multiple twists or somersaults. The whole skill lasts a few seconds. Vault has fixed difficulty values for each vault, and landings decide a lot.
Uneven bars
Two bars at different heights. Gymnasts swing, release, fly between the bars and regrasp, then finish with a dismount. Bars rewards rhythm and continuous swing; stops and extra swings cost execution.
Balance beam
A beam 10 cm wide and 5 m long, 1.25 m above the floor. Gymnasts perform acrobatic elements, leaps, jumps and turns, and must show a mix of element types. Beam is where nerves show most, and where all-around competitions often turn.
Floor
A 12 x 12 metre sprung floor, a routine to music of up to 90 seconds, and a combination of tumbling passes, leaps, jumps and turns. Floor is the most expressive apparatus in women's gymnastics.
How competitions work
At European and World Championships, qualification decides places in team, all-around and apparatus finals. In team finals, three gymnasts perform on each apparatus and all scores count. In all-around finals, each gymnast competes on all four apparatus. Apparatus finals crown specialists. A two-per-country limit applies to individual finals.
Europe's place in the sport
European nations have shaped women's gymnastics from the beginning: Soviet and Romanian gymnasts dominated for decades, and more recently gymnasts from France, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium have won major titles. Our archive includes the 2019 Szczecin championships, where France's Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos won the all-around, and Glasgow 2018, where Belgium's Nina Derwael won on bars.
Read more
Start with how gymnastics scoring works, then browse the championships below.
