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Great Britain the most successful nation at the 20th Future Cup in Linz!
The Future Cup is one of the most prestigious youth competitions in gymnastics worldwide. At the 20th edition on November 21-22, 2025, a field of 118 up-and-coming talents from 16 nations participated in the Tips Arena.
In the team competition, after a close contest, the experienced British junior team from Manchester won with 221.227 points, narrowly ahead of the team from Belgium with 219.159 points, who had also been runners-up the previous year. Behind them, the remaining places were taken with little gap. Third place went to the Australian national team with 217.826 points. In fourth place was the team Hungary KSI with 217.627 points, and fifth went to the team English Gymnastics with 214.895 points. The members of last year's successful Austrian team had all moved up to the elite level, leaving the up-and-coming young team in 12th place with 201.793 points and room for improvement next year.
In Group 1 of the oldest gymnasts (born in 2007-2008), the top three on the podium were separated by a full two points. Levente Marko (74.298) from Hungary won ahead of the Australian John Carroll (72.531). Third place went to the Brit Rocco Grech (72.298). In this category, performances at an elite level were already demonstrated, and we can look forward to seeing these gymnasts in their first elite year. The best Austrians in this category were Sebastien Lehner in 26th place and Lenny Pfeiffer in 27th, although neither of them completed a full all-around competition.
The second youngest group U16 (born 2009-2010) was uncontestedly dominated by Belgium and Britain, with five gymnasts from these nations taking the top 6 places alone. Maxime Rolin (74.165) from Belgium won ahead of the two Britons Seth Ingle (72.299) and Jake Palmer (70.497). The best Austrian in the strong midfield was Samuel Schulz (66.297) from the Austrian national team, who finished 21st.
The victory in the latest U14 class (born in 2011 and younger) went to the Briton Dennis Skala (72.964) from Manchester with a strong performance, winning by a margin of just under three points. Second in this category was his teammate James Knipe (70.298), also from Manchester, ahead of the Canadian Mikael Morin (69.998). Although James Knipe had a mixed all-around performance, he delivered an impressive highlight on the pommel horse with the highest score of all gymnasts on this apparatus at 13.566 points. The best Austrian was Marcel Sailer (66.665) with a solid 7th place in the largest age group by number.
It has recently become a tradition to hold apparatus finals the following day. The top six gymnasts per apparatus and age group had the chance to win the titles on the individual apparatus. The most successful nation in the finals was Great Britain, with 9 titles alone. Canada followed with 3 titles, and Belgium, Australia, and Ireland with 2 titles each. John Caroll (AUS), Sebastian Ramirez-Capes (GBR), Mikael Morin (BEL), and James Knipe (GBR) each excelled with two apparatus titles. The best Austrian in an apparatus final was Maximilian Schmidt, who achieved an impressive 2nd place on the parallel bars in the U14 category.
Overall, the 'Little Linz Gymnastics World Championship' was unanimously praised by all participants for its excellent organization and caring support. The high number of participants and the level of performance shown by the gymnasts make the Future Cup appear to be an ideal competition for assessing the standing of junior gymnasts and teams.
Future Cup organization chief and OÖFT president Helmut Kranzlmüller: "After the difficult two years of the COVID-19 interruption, we have managed exceptionally well to reestablish the Future Cup in the competition calendar. The Future Cup is now a fixed event of the year for youth teams. Thanks to the entire team behind it, making this important platform for top-level youth sports possible. All teams want to come back next year – hardly any higher praise is possible."
Winner of the finals 2025
| Gerät | U18 | U16 | U14 |
| Boden | Carroll John (AUS) | Olyslaegers Arthur (BEL) | Morin Mikael (CAN) |
| Pauschenpferd | Phythian Thomas (GBR) Allaire Dominic (CAN) |
Hickey Matthew (IRL) | Knipe James (GBR) |
| Ringe | Grech Rocco (GBR) | Ingle Seth (GBR) | Knipe James (GBR) |
| Sprung | Markó Levente (HUN) | Ward Robert (IRL) | Morin Mikael (CAN) |
| Barren | Ramirez-Capes Sebastian (GBR) | Rolin Maxime (BEL) | Skala Dennis (GBR) |
| Reck | Carroll John (AUS) Ramirez-Capes Sebastian (GBR) |
Palmer Jake (GBR) | Beretta Mattia (ITA) |
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