‘You are a queen’: Gymnastics sensation Angelina Melnikova seizes on Simone Biles & Suni Lee absences to claim world crown (VIDEO)

Gymnastics sensation Angelina Melnikova has succeeded Simone Biles in winning gold at the World Artistic Championships, ending Team USA's streak of seven wins to become the first Russian to take the title in 11 years.

The 21-year-old, who was a key member of the Russian Olympic Committee team that stormed to team glory at the Olympic Games, had admitted during the week that the absence of fellow great Biles and Tokyo champion Suni Lee had given her a golden opportunity.

At her fourth world championships, masterful Melnikova held off a persistent challenge from American Leanne Wong, who had kept on the pressure until the Voronezh-born winner took the final turn of all the competitors and closed out victory with a decisive performance.

A double-twisting Yurchenko handed Melnikova an opening score of 14.466 before she changed part of her transition elements that had hindered her in the qualifying round.

That led to an improved score of 14.533, followed by a 13.800 score on the balance beam that gave her a 0.492 lead over Wong ahead of the floor exercise.

Wong would not let up with a superb final flourish, only to see Melnikova maintain her position with a final 13.833 score.

Jordyn Wieber took the title for Team USA in 2011, with Morgan Hurd following in 2017 and Biles winning gold for three successive years between 2013 and 2015 and on two straight editions in 2018 and 2019.

"Yes, it’s a good chance," Melnikova had acknowledged when it was put to her that Biles – who cheered her on the beam and later congratulated her during the Olympics – and Lee were not involved. "I’ll try to use it 100%."

A four-time European Championships and two-time European Games winner, Melnikova confessed on Monday that she had been finding it a test to adapt to the time change after arriving in the Japanese city of Kitakyushu.

There was also joy for Russian Vladislava Urazova, a competitor at the Tokyo Games and former junior champion, who finished fourth.

Urazova ended behind fractionally behind another 17-year-old, American Kayla di Cello.

After watching her athlete become the first Russian to triumph at the championships since Aliya Mustafina in 2010, senior national team coach Valentina Rodionenko said everything had gone to plan.

"It is difficult for me to compare the quality of her performances in the Olympic all-around competition and now," she told TASS, adding that the experience had been "good" for Urazova.

"But today she was much calmer and went more and more confidently. Angelina was ready to win the all-around among this composition of participants in the World Championship."

Mustafina said she had not doubted Melnikova despite the starlet's lack of build-up time. 

"This period was the era of Simone Biles, frankly – it was impossible to beat her," Mustafina told Match TV.

"However, it is important that we seized the opportunity as soon as it appeared.

"It seems to me that the significance of the victory does not decrease from the fact that the strongest did not participate.

"There is a reward. The rest is the problem of those who did not come. I consider Angelina the absolute leader of the national team thanks to her experience, thanks to her preparation."