At just 24, Aliya Mustafina had already achieved what many gymnasts dream of their entire lives. She was a 2x Olympic champion and a world all-around champion. But on March 23, 2019, when she stepped onto the floor at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, no one knew it would be the last time she competed. Even a fall on the balance beam could not keep her from the top. Mustafina pulled herself together, finished the remaining events, and won all-around gold with 53.564 points. Yet, after that day, she never competed again. Now, 7 years later, she is back on the World Championships stage, but this time, she is standing on the other side of the competition floor.

Mustafina returned to the World Championships as a coach on October 16, 2026, at Rotterdam Ahoy in the Netherlands, where the championships begin on October 17. This time she is helping Russian gymnasts on the balance beam during podium training. “I’ve been working as a coach for five years now, and this is my first World Championships as a coach, so it’s interesting,” she said after the Russian gymnasts’ podium training on Friday.

Her return to Rotterdam carries a special meaning. Sixteen years earlier, in 2010, Mustafina competed in the same arena as a 16-year-old in her first World Championships and won the world all-around title with 61.032 points. She finished ahead of China’s Jiang Yuyuan, who scored 59.998, while American gymnast Rebecca Bross took bronze.  She also helped Russia win team gold at those championships.

Then, Mustafina went on to build one of the most successful careers in women’s gymnastics. She won uneven bars gold and all-around bronze at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games, defending her bars title four years after her first Olympic victory. Yet her final competitive appearance came at the Birmingham World Cup in March 2019.

At the time, Birmingham was not meant to be her farewell. Mustafina still had plans to compete, but injuries interrupted her season. She withdrew from the European Championships and later missed the European Games after suffering an ankle injury. She did not compete at the 2019 World Championships, and although she continued training for a time, she never returned to international competition. In June 2021, she officially retired from competitive gymnastics and began focusing on coaching.

Now, her return to the World Championships has given her a new perspective on the sport. “From the stress side it’s equal,” Mustafina said. “But being on the podium, physically, it’s harder as a gymnast.” But at the same time, her first World Championships as a coach have also brought disappointment.

Russian Gymnasts’ Visa Refusals Cast a Shadow Over Mustafina’s Return to Rotterdam

Mustafina’s return to Rotterdam came amid disappointment for the Russian team. Three of the country’s leading gymnasts, reigning world all-around champion Angelina Melnikova, Tokyo 2020 Olympic team gold medalist Viktoria Listunova and European all-around silver medalist Anna Kalmykova, were unable to compete after their visa applications were refused by Dutch authorities just days before the World Championships began on October 17.

According to the Russian Gymnastics Federation, the refusal notices stated that one or more Schengen-area countries considered the athletes a threat to international relations. The decision came despite World Gymnastics having lifted its restrictions on Russian and Belarusian gymnasts earlier in 2026, allowing eligible athletes to return to international competition under the rules then in place. However, permission to compete did not guarantee entry into the Netherlands where visa applications remained subject to national and European rules. 

The Russian federation condemned the refusals as discriminatory and said it intended to appeal to World Gymnastics and the International Olympic Committee. The championships were especially important because they offered the first team qualification opportunities for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “First of all, of course it’s disappointing,” Mustafina said. “We are feeling a lot for the girls that they are not able to compete here.”

For Mustafina, Rotterdam is a place filled with memories. It is a return to the arena where her journey to the top of the sport began. This time, rather than chasing a title herself, she is helping others prepare for their chance to make history.