Bangladesh gymnasts make entry into Junior World Rankings

 
Bangladesh's junior gymnasts have achieved a feat at the 3rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships in Manila, Philippines, marking the first time the country has featured in the world junior rankings.

Taking place from 20 to 24 November 2025 at the Newport World Resorts in Pasay City, the championships drew competitors from 74 nations.

In the qualifying round, Utingwang Marma scored 12.950 in the men's vault, placing 21st globally, while Menton Toni Mro secured 12.600 on the pommel horse to finish 23rd among more than a hundred competitors.

On the team front, Bangladesh finished 36th out of 74 nations, a significant leap from previous editions where the country was ranked in the 70s.

Habibur Rahman, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Gymnastics Federation, commented from Manila, said that Utingwang narrowly missed a place in the vault final. He (Utingwang) was only 0.566 points behind the eighth and final qualifier.
 
He expressed both pride and disappointment as the gymnast had shown progress and strong performance yet he came so close to a top-five finish.

This is not the first time Bangladesh's juniors have made waves internationally. Earlier this year at the Singapore Open, Utingwang and Menton helped the junior men's team win gold, and individually claimed top honours in their respective apparatus.

Still, the entry into the world ranking is a clear signal that Bangladesh's gymnastics programme is maturing. As Rahman put it, "we are now ahead of India,"
 
He expressed optimism that the country's ranking will continue to climb in future editions.