Lefteris Petrounias wins rings silver at Rotterdam worlds with 14.333 points

Silver on the rings

Lefteris Petrounias won the silver medal on rings at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, scoring 14.333 in the final on 24 October 2026. Greek outlets described it as his fifth world championship medal and his second world silver on rings, after the one he won in 2023. He finished behind Xingyu Lan of China, whom To Vima credits with 14.766, while NewsIT names Artur Avetisyan of Armenia as bronze medallist with 14.233. Petrounias, who is 35 according to in.gr, had briefly moved to the top of the standings before Lan's score pushed him down. NewsIT said he reached the final only narrowly, in eighth place, after a weak exit in qualifying.

The routine and the reaction

Petrounias performed a clean routine and finished with a firm landing on the mat, after which he celebrated and said:

“That's how it's done, that's how it's done.”

The hall applauded loudly, but NewsIT reported that his joy faded seconds later when the score was announced. The same outlet described a frozen smile visible during the television broadcast of the final, which it read as a sign that he had expected more. Skai's headline said he laughed ironically when he saw his 14.333 score, a description the other outlets do not repeat.

Conflicting reports on the gold medal

The reports do not agree on who won gold. To Vima and NewsIT both place Xingyu Lan first, with Vima giving him 14.766 points. Skai instead names Kerdei Talok as the gold medallist with 13.366 points, a figure that none of the other reports mention, and the articles do not explain the gap. Petrounias's own score of 14.333 is the same in every Greek report that gives it.

Career tally

Greek outlets put Petrounias's career total at 22 medals in international competitions. In.gr breaks them down into three at the Olympics (one gold in 2016 and bronze in 2020 and 2024), five at world championships (gold in 2017, 2018 and 2025, silver in 2023 and 2026), and eleven at European Championships (eight gold and three bronze). He also holds single gold medals from the 2026 World Cup, the 2015 European Games and the 2013 Mediterranean Games. In.gr counts 19 medals across the Olympics, the world championships and the European championships, the three flagship events. The breakdown is shown below.

Olympic Games3

World Championships5

European Championships11

World Cup1

European Games1

Mediterranean Games1

Olympic Games

3

World Championships

5

European Championships

11

World Cup

1

European Games

1

Mediterranean Games

1

Data from the article text

What comes next

NewsIT wrote that Petrounias is already preparing for his next competition, but the articles do not name the event or give a date. NEWS 24/7 said the silver came from a brilliant career that already includes three world championship golds. NewsIT described the medal as the latest in a decade full of success. Greek headlines called him the lord of the rings, while Vima described him as the Midas of the rings.