COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri gymnastics freshman Kaia Tanskanen (Howell, Mich.) has received an invitation to represent Finland at the 2025 European Championship in Leipzig, Germany, at Messe Leipzig May 26-31, the organization announced.

The competition will be streamed on gymtv.online, powered by Staylive, part of the Two Circles group.

Tanskanen clinched her spot after receiving bronze medals on uneven bars, balance beam and the all-around at the Finnish National Championship May 2-5 in Oulu, Finland. 

"I'm really proud of myself for making the team and balancing both college and elite gymnastics while competing Internationally again," Tanskanen said. "It's been tough, but Coach Snowden's support and belief in me made all the difference. I'm incredibly grateful for everything she's done."

This will mark her third time appearing at the European Championship, previously doing so in 2022, where she was the Northern Europe Champion in floor and the all-around, and in 2023, finishing as a finalist in the all-around.

To qualify for the 2025 World Championships, gymnasts must achieve a minimum All-Around score of 48.00 in at least two designated competitions: the Finnish Championships, European Championships, two specific Finnish qualifiers, University Games or Northern European Championships. Final selections will be based on AA rankings from these events. Athletes may also qualify by meeting individual event standards twice: Vault – 13.00, Uneven Bars – 13.50, Balance Beam – 13.00, and Floor Exercise – 13.00. 

During her freshman season at Mizzou, Tanskanen competed in 12 meets, primarily on vault and floor. In her five floor routines, Tanskanen scored 9.8750 or higher four times, highlighted by a 9.900 in her collegiate debut on the apparatus against Georgia on Feb. 21. During her 11 appearances on vault, she scored 9.8000 or better seven times.

Tanskanen comes from a family of gymnasts, with her father, Juha, having competed at the World Championships for Finland, while her mother, Kim, attended Iowa on a full-ride athletic scholarship. In addition, her uncle, Jani, won the High Bar World Championship while competing for Finland.

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