Sixteen-year-old Lia-Monica Fontaine clinched a silver medal at the artistic gymnastics world championships held in Jakarta, Indonesia. Hailing from Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, she secured second place in the vault competition with a score of 14.033 points. Neutral athlete Angelina Melnikova claimed the gold medal with 14.466 points, while American Joscelyn Roberson took home the bronze with a score of 13.983.
Fontaine expressed her surprise and joy at winning silver in her debut world championships, stating that she had hoped to compete well in the vault event but did not expect to medal. She joins the ranks as the second Canadian female gymnast to achieve a medal in the vault, following Shallon Olsen’s silver in 2018.
This achievement builds on Fontaine’s successful season, marked by her impressive performance at the 2025 Pan American Championships in June. In her first year competing at the senior level, she secured four individual medals, including silver in the all-around and vault, gold in floor exercise, and bronze on the uneven bars.
In other results from the championships, Canada’s Aidan Li, a newcomer to the world stage, finished eighth in the men’s pommel horse final, while Felix Dolci placed 16th in the men’s all-around final earlier in the week. The competition will conclude on Saturday with five more apparatus finals.
Ellie Black, a 30-year-old Canadian athlete, qualified fourth for the women’s beam final in her ninth appearance at the world championships. Black previously won silver in the beam at the 2022 worlds and contributed to Canada’s team bronze. She also achieved an all-around silver at the 2017 worlds in Montreal.
