Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta – young DTB team on an international stage
Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Indonesia from 19 to 25 October
When the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships begin in Jakarta on Sunday (19 October 2025), the German gymnastics team will embark on a week brimming with challenges and opportunities. More than 500 athletes from over 80 countries will battle for the twelve individual championship titles in the Indonesia Arena. For the German gymnastics federation (DTB), this represents their first major international competition in the new Olympic cycle – with a deliberately young, development-oriented team.
Individual world championships with focus on special disciplines
The 2025 world championships is an individual event: there are no team rankings, with the competition instead focusing on all-around and apparatus finals. This event style requires gymnasts to show maximum precision and individual strengths – a format that particularly suits specialists.
The German squad
For the women, Karina Schönmaier, Jesenia Schäfer and Silja Stöhr will be wearing the German colours. Schönmaier, the most experienced gymnast on the team, is heading into the competitions with clear ambitions: ‘I want to be competing for the top’, said the 20-year-old, who sees opportunities to appear in the all-around, vault and floor finals. Jesenia Schäfer (15) and Silja Stöhr will primarily be seeking to gain international experience and complete solid routines. Schäfer is the youngest athlete on the German team:
I am really looking forward to the world championships, but am also very nervous and want to get through the competition without falling.
The men’s DTB team is made up of Nils Dunkel, Timo Eder, Gabriel Eichhorn and Artur Sahakyan. Eder and Dunkel will be focusing on the all-around final whilst Eichhorn and Sahakyan will be seeking to showcase their strengths on individual apparatus. ‘Our aim is to chalk up as many final spots as possible. Competition levels are very high given the number of specialists’, men’s head coach Jens Milbradt said. This is the first world championship appearance for Eichhorn, Sahakyan and Schäfer.
The team on site
On site, Jens Milbradt and Thomas Andergassen will be looking after the men. Anatol Ashurkov (TuS Chemnitz-Altendorf) and Narine Kirakosyan (TG Mannheim) will take responsibility for the women. As this is an individual world championships, the decision was also taken to send athletes’ individual coaches. Head coach Gerben Wiersma will not be travelling to Jakarta but will remain in close contact with the team.
The men’s qualifiers begin on Sunday 19 October from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time (5 a.m. to 5 p.m. German time).
2025 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships schedule (German time)
| Tag | Uhrzeit (MEZ) | Wettkampf |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 19/10 | 5 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Men’s qualifiers |
| Mon 20/10 | 12 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. | Women’s qualifiers |
| Wed 22/10 | 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. | Men’s all-around final |
| Thu 23/10 | 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. | Women’s all-around final |
| Fri 24/10 | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Apparatus finals I |
| Sat 25/10 | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Apparatus finals II |
All competitions will be streamed live on Sportschau.de and SWR Sport.
Outlook
The Artistic Gymnastics World Championships are a vital step in the DTB team’s international development. With a young squad, clear division of roles, and targeted support, the federation will be seeking to gain experience and create prospects – with sights set on the major events between now and 2028.
We wish the German gymnastics team a focused, solid competition weekend in Jakarta – with confident routines, clear progress and valuable international experience. The entire HYLO® SPORT team are crossing their fingers for a successful performance at the 2025 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.