First Medals Awarded at the 2026 World Championships

Two Gold Medals for Germany, One for Team USA – First Medals Awarded at the 2026 IRV Wheel Gymnastics Championships

What happens when Godzilla, James Bond, Ikarus, a circus princess and Harley Quinn take to the floor, bringing plenty of fun and excitement with them? You are obviously watching the artistic routines in the All Around Cyr Wheel finals at the Wheel Gymnastics World Championships.

It was a fascinating first medal event in the Sparkassen-Arena in Göttingen. Athletes ranging in age from 12 to 63 delivered outstanding performances. The competition began with the junior category, where girls and boys compete together, and the youngest athletes were the ones who achieved the highest scores.

American gymnast, Iliya Volohdin, impressed everyone with a flawless routine, high difficulty level and an ever-present smile. His overall score of 24.25 points secured the gold medal for the athlete from Reno, Nevada.

Close behind was Germany’s Mila Lockenvitz, who earned 24.10 points in her first World Championships. The gymnast from VfB Fallersleben took the silver medal. Bronze also went to Team USA, with Coco Luciano – another athlete from Reno – scoring 23.50 points.

Junior Award Ceremony – ©Achille Abboud

Next up were the women
Following the technical programme, one thing was clear: the competition for gold would come down to two athletes – Lea Toran Jenner of Spain and Carolin Liesegang of Berlin. However, alongside these two professional circus artists, a strong group of competitors from German Cyr Wheel clubs were also in contention. Not to be overlooked was Team USA’s Keisha Thrift, who competed just months after giving birth to her fourth child. Her eight-month-old baby was even in the arena to cheer her on.

Returning to the battle for the title, Carolin led the standings after the technical programme. Lea was the first of the two favourites to perform her artistic routine. Poetic, expressive and packed with difficulty, she captivated the audience in a colourful circus costume. Her performance earned 17.80 points, the highest artistic score in the women’s competition.

The pressure was now on Carolin. Carolin is the only female athlete in the field performing an element called “pillar”, supporting herself with her hands down on the wheel while extending both legs into the air away from the apparatus. Performing as Harley Quinn in a striking blue-and-red costume, she thrilled both the crowd and the judges. When she executed her signature move – a back handspring around the wheel – it produced one of the biggest wow moments of the evening. She received 16.85 points for her artistic routine. Since the final ranking combines the technical and artistic scores, Carolin Liesegang claimed the gold medal with a total of 34.65 points, while Lea Toran Jenner finished with 34.00 points to take silver.

Amid this epic battle between Harley Quinn and the circus princess, one athlete should not be forgotten; Celina Leusch’s elegant routine performed to music from Dirty Dancing, earned her the bronze medal.

And finally, the men’s competition
The men’s competition featured an impressive line-up: reigning world champion Shigeki Kanai from Japan, German Cyr Wheel legend Hauke Narten, and a talented group of athletes from Aachen.

Competing in his eighth World Championships, Germany’s Hauke Narten was determined to give it his all. He packed his routine with difficult elements, including the pillar, back roll and champagne, just to name a few. He executed them flawlessly and received the maximum possible difficulty score of 5.0 points. This was the first time an athlete has achieved a perfect difficulty score at a Cyr Wheel World Championship event.
In the end, Hauke claimed the gold medal by a comfortable margin. He finished with 36.75 points, while Timon Francis Kielgas took silver with 27.70 points. His Godzilla-themed performance was truly unique. Tossing, dragging and appearing to fight with the wheel, he convincingly brought the famous monster to life on the competition floor.

The bronze medal went to Canada’s Steven Bairos Novak. Dressed in a baroque-inspired costume, he delivered a poetic and joyful routine that impressed both spectators and judges alike.

Overall, the artistic programmes were a true highlight of the championships. Also memorable were Switzerland’s Martin Rüetschi, who at the age of 63 was the oldest athlete in the competition and delighted the audience with his James Bond performance; Shigeki Kanai’s immersive tribute to Japanese culture; and Felix Fieldt’s captivating interpretation of the flight of Icarus.