Gymnastics All-Around in Hannover: Stelmakh Wins, Surprise Bronze for Toba

Second place went to Alexander Kunz from Pfuhl with 77.867 points. The all-around title thus went to a newcomer to the German gymnastics federation – according to the available facts, the decision to compete in the all-around in Hannover was only made in the week before the competition.

Home Game in Hannover

However, the biggest story of the day was provided by Toba. Born in Hannover and still based there today, the 35-year-old scored 76.400 points across six apparatus and finished in third place. According to the facts, it was his first complete all-around in two years. On the pommel horse he received 12.333 points; the final apparatus was floor at 1:38 PM, the first was pommel horse at 11:26 AM.

Toba had ended his international career by his own account more than 14 months ago, with his last international competition being the European Championships in Leipzig, where he had won European silver on high bar. In total, he participated in four Olympic Games according to the facts. About his appearance in Hannover, he said: „Ich habe in Hannover noch nie einen großen Wettkampf geturnt.“ His start had only been possible because the championship took place in his hometown: „Wär's nicht Hannover gewesen, hätte euch es nicht mehr gemacht. Das ist auf jeden Fall hundertprozentig klar.“

He had regained his form after the end of his career through the show „Feuerwerk der Turnkunst“ and the Bundesliga, according to the available information. Initially he had only trained once a day and only increased his training volume to two sessions per day in the final two weeks before the competition. He had qualified for the championship through the regional championships – a path he himself described with a wink: he had „durch die Landesmeisterschaften so ein bisschen gequält“ himself to be able to start.

A „Retiree“ on the Podium

Toba, who works full-time as a youth coach, described himself in conversation as a „Rentner in Anführungsstrichen“ who only does gymnastics as a hobby. Nevertheless, he had lived up to his own expectation: „Meine Erwartung, die ich an mich selbst hatte, war heute nur Spaß zu haben. Und so habe ich mich auch von Gerät zu Gerät gesteigert und versucht, die Freude immer weiter zu intensivieren.“ He also told the press: „Ich wollte hier heute einfach frei turnen, Spaß haben.“

The 35-year-old called the result extraordinary: „Das ist unter den Top 3 meiner Erfolge in meiner 30-jährigen Karriere.“ ARD gymnastics expert Elisabeth Seitz also paid tribute to the performance: „Dass er mit 35, nach dem Rücktritt, noch einmal die Motivation findet, bei den Finals zu starten, zeigt ganz schön die Liebe zum Sport.“ According to the available information, Toba had made his emotional retirement more than a year ago.

A gesture on high bar also caused a stir: the Olympic champion on high bar, Fabian Hambüchen, embraced Toba after his routine. About the bronze medal, Toba said: „Das hier ist einfach ein Traum. Dass das dabei herausgekommen ist, ist unglaublich. Die Medaille werde ‚auf jeden Fall‘ einen besonderen Platz bekommen.“ He also emphasized: „Dafür, dass ich eigentlich Rentner bin in Anführungsstrichen und das eigentlich nur noch als Hobby mache, finde ich es einfach schön, dass man sieht, wenn man es mit Leidenschaft macht, dass es auch etwas werden kann.“

Outlook on the European Championships

In front of approximately 1,700 spectators at the ZAG Arena in Hannover, the performance was also remarkable against the backdrop of Toba's history of adversity: at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, he had torn his cruciate ligament on floor before his pommel horse routine and had still competed. With 14.233 points in the all-around qualification, he delivered the best score of the German gymnasts at the time and thus contributed to the German team's qualification for the team final.

According to the available information, federal training center coach Jens Milbradt must complete the nomination of the German team for the European Championships by Monday. The European Championships take place from August 13 to 23 in Zagreb. Whether Toba will also compete in Croatia after Hannover, he left open: „Erstmal liegt es nicht in meiner Hand und ich glaube, ich muss arbeiten.“ He denied any personal ambitions of participating in the European Championships. According to the information, the Finals 2026 in Hannover encompass a wide range of sports, including gymnastics, 3x3 basketball, rugby sevens, beach volleyball, BMX flatland, archery, breaking, and trampoline gymnastics; ZDF has been broadcasting daily since July 22, 2026, starting at 5:30 AM.