Sixteen-year-old Lia-Monica Fontaine secured a silver medal at the artistic gymnastics world championships held in Jakarta, Indonesia. Hailing from Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, Fontaine clinched second place in the vault event, scoring 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.
Fontaine expressed her surprise at achieving a medal in her first world championships, stating that she had high hopes for the final but did not anticipate a podium finish. She now joins Shallon Olsen as the only Canadian women to win a vault medal. Olsen secured a silver medal in 2018.
Fontaine’s success at the championships marks a remarkable season for the young gymnast. Making her debut at the senior level, she amassed four individual medals at the 2025 Pan American Championships in June, including silver in the all-around and vault, gold in floor exercise, and bronze on uneven bars.
In other results from the championships, Canadian newcomer Aidan Li placed eighth in the men’s pommel horse final, while Felix Dolci finished 16th in the men’s all-around final held earlier in the week. The championships are set to conclude on Saturday with five more apparatus finals.
Ellie Black, a thirty-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 event at the 2022 championships, where she also contributed to Canada’s team bronze. Additionally, she earned an all-around silver at the 2017 worlds in Montreal.