Hamlet Manukyan has made history by becoming Armenia’s first senior world champion on pommel horse, while teammate Mamikon Khachatryan secured bronze at the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
In a historic achievement for Armenian gymnastics, 19-year-old Hamlet Manukyan has become the nation’s first senior world champion on pommel horse, securing gold at the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships held in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Manukyan’s score of 15.300 narrowly edged out Italy’s Gabriele Targhetta, who took silver with 15.233, by a mere 0.067 points. Teammate Mamikon Khachatryan also made his mark, earning a bronze medal with a score of 15.000, marking a significant moment as both athletes stood on the podium together.
Entering the final as the top qualifier with a preliminary score of 14.933, Manukyan showcased an impressive routine characterized by a 5.900 difficulty score and a 9.400 execution score, ultimately improving his qualification mark by 0.367 points. This victory is a notable milestone in Manukyan’s burgeoning career, especially following his fourth-place finish during his senior world championships debut in 2025. He has previously triumphed as the 2025 European pommel horse champion and clinched junior world gold in both pommel horse and rings in 2023.
For Khachatryan, this bronze medal signifies his second consecutive podium finish at the world championships on pommel horse, following a silver medal performance in Jakarta in 2025. The duo has proven to be a formidable pair in gymnastics, having previously shared the podium at the last European Championships, where Manukyan secured gold and Khachatryan took silver.