Mizzou gymnastics freshman gymnast Kaia Tanskanen has earned a spot on Finland’s national team for the 2025 European Gymnastics Championship, which is set for May 26–31 in Leipzig, Germany.
Tanskanen punched her ticket after claiming bronze medals on the uneven bars, balance beam and in the all-around categories at the Finnish National Championship on May 2-5 in Oulu, Finland. Tanskanen has previously appeared in the European Championships 2022 and 2023.
“I’m proud of myself for making the team and balancing both college and elite gymnastics while competing internationally again,” Tanskanen said in a news release by the Missourian. “It’s been tough, but (associate head) coach (Whitney) Snowden’s support and belief in me made all the difference. I’m incredibly grateful for everything she’s done.”
Tanskanen was one of five freshmen on MU coach Shannon Welker’s squad last season and competed in 12 meets. Notching a career-best 9.900 on floor in her collegiate debut against then-No. 12 Georgia on Feb. 21, Tanskanen became the third Mizzou gymnast to score that high in an event debut since 2020.
A four-star recruit and former Finnish national champion, Tanskanen is no stranger to elite competition. She also comes from a gymnastics legacy — her father, Juha, competed at the World Championships for Finland; her mother, Kim, was a full-scholarship athlete at Iowa; and her uncle, Jani, won the High Bar World Championship for Finland in 1997.
Tanskanen sets her sights on a strong showing in Leipzig, Germany, ahead of Mizzou’s 2025-26 campaign after the Tigers achieved a program-best third-place finish at the NCAA Championship final April 19.