Sixteen-year-old Lia-Monica Fontaine clinched a silver medal at the artistic gymnastics world championships held in Jakarta, Indonesia on Friday. Hailing from Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, Fontaine secured the second spot in the vault event with a score of 14.033 points. The gold medal was claimed by neutral athlete Angelina Melnikova with 14.466 points, while American Joscelyn Roberson took home the bronze with a score of 13.983.
Expressing her surprise and excitement, Fontaine shared, “Coming into these worlds, I knew I was strong on vault, but the idea of winning a medal seemed distant.” This marked her first world championships, making her just the second Canadian to achieve a medal in the women’s vault after Shallon Olsen’s silver win in 2018.
Fontaine’s success at the championships adds to her remarkable season. Competing at the senior level for the first time, she made a significant impact by securing four individual medals at the 2025 Pan American Championships in June. These included silver in the all-around and vault, gold in floor exercise, and bronze on the uneven bars.
Additionally, Canada’s Aidan Li, a newcomer at the world championships, 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 event is set to conclude on Saturday with five more apparatus finals.
Ellie Black, the thirty-year-old Canadian athlete, qualified fourth for the women’s beam final in her ninth appearance at the world championships. Black has a history of success in these competitions, having secured silver in the beam at the 2022 worlds and contributing to Canada’s team bronze. Notably, she also earned an all-around silver at the 2017 worlds in Montreal.