Tanskanen Prepares for World Challenge Cup in Paris
9/11/2025 4:00:00 PM | Gymnastics
The sophomore will represent Finland in the event.
Mizzou gymnastics sophomore Kaia Tanskanen (Howell, Mich.) competes in the World Challenge Cup in Paris on September 13-14 at Accor Arena.
Competition begins on Saturday with vault and uneven bars held in the morning session, and balance beam and floor in the evening session. The finals will be held the next day on Sunday, with events being competed in Olympic order.
Tanskanen competed in May at the European Championship, placing 11th in the final with an all-around score of 50.799, the highest of any Finnish athlete at the event to date. By exceeding 48.000, her score qualified her for the 2025 World Championship.
This will mark Tanskanen's third World Championship appearance, which is set to be held on October 19-25 in Jakarta, Indonesia. This will mark her first time competing in the event since 2023. Her highs at the World Championship are as follows: 13.333 on vault (2023), 12.600 on bars (2023), 11.333 on balance beam (2023) and 12.800 on floor (2022).
Tanskanen competed 12 times over the course of her freshman season at Mizzou, mainly competing in vault and floor. In her five floor routines, Tanskanen scored 9.8750 or higher four times, highlighted by a 9.900 in her collegiate debut on the apparatus against Georgia on February 21. During her 11 appearances on vault, she scored 9.8000 or higher seven times.
Tanskanen comes from a family of gymnasts, with her father, Juha, having competed at the World Championships for Finland, while her mother, Kim, attended Iowa on a full-ride athletic scholarship. In addition, her uncle, Jani, won the High Bar World Championship while competing for Finland.
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