In rhythmic gymnastics, sometimes the most significant milestones aren’t the ones crowned with medals, but the performances that quietly redraw what an entire nation can dream to achieve. At the 2025 FIG World Challenge Cup in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, 18-year-old Indian gymnast Kimaya Karle did exactly that.
Her score of 23.000 in the Clubs apparatus may seem modest compared to the giants of the sport but it is a line in the sand: the first time an Indian gymnast has crossed this mark under the demanding new 2025–2028 Code of Points (CoP). For a sport still carving out its place in India, Kimaya’s score is not just a number it’s a signal that the technical and artistic bar is rising, and Indian athletes are ready to match it.
Beyond Medals: What Makes This Score Historic?
To understand why Kimaya’s 23.000 matters, it’s important to look beyond her final placement (52nd in Clubs qualifications and 64th All-Around). The achievement is rooted in the major shift brought by the new CoP, introduced by the FIG in early 2025.
This new Code doesn’t just reward sheer difficulty; it places equal weight on artistry, choreography, and execution. It deliberately discourages overloading routines with repetitive difficult elements, pushing athletes to be creative and technically clean. In this environment, scoring above 23.000 means a gymnast’s routine is not just technically challenging, but also artistically balanced and cleanly executed qualities traditionally harder to develop in countries where rhythmic gymnastics isn’t part of mainstream sports culture.
Kimaya’s score breakdown 9.5 Difficulty (D), 6.9 Artistry (A), and 6.6 Execution (E) shows she’s building routines aligned with the new international philosophy. While the top medalists at the same event posted higher scores, often exceeding 30, Kimaya’s result underlines that Indian gymnastics is learning to speak the new language of the sport.
The Journey: From National Podiums to International Arenas
Kimaya Karle isn’t new to winning domestically. In 2025 alone, she clinched gold medals in the Ball apparatus at the National Games and the Khelo India Youth Games, solidifying her place as one of India’s top rhythmic gymnasts. But transitioning from national gold medals to scoring competitively at World Challenge Cups is no small leap.
The World Challenge Cup series, sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), is where the world’s best test themselves. Medalists here often go on to compete for World Championship and Olympic podiums. Competing in Cluj-Napoca, with gymnasts like Ukraine’s Taisiia Onofriichuk and Germany’s Darja Varfolomeev, Kimaya was sharing the stage with athletes backed by decades of elite training systems.
In this field, crossing the 23.000 mark under a new, stricter scoring system is India’s quiet statement: “We belong here, too.”
The Bigger Picture: India’s Rise in Rhythmic Gymnastics
Rhythmic gymnastics in India is still young compared to powerhouses like Russia, Bulgaria, or Ukraine. There is limited infrastructure, fewer elite coaches, and less international exposure. Historically, Indian gymnasts have participated in FIG events but remained well outside medal contention, and have rarely posted scores matching international averages.
This is why Kimaya’s result is significant. Though her overall rank was 64th out of 69 in the All-Around, it’s her Clubs score and more importantly, the quality and construction of her routine that matters. It shows Indian gymnasts are learning to choreograph routines that meet new global demands.
It also places her name in a pioneering list: while not the first Indian to compete internationally, she becomes the first known Indian to cross the 23.000 mark in Clubs under the 2025–2028 CoP a milestone that may inspire the next generation.
A Closer Look: The Scorecard
Here’s how Kimaya performed across the apparatus in Cluj-Napoca:
| Apparatus | Score | Rank |
| Clubs | 23.000 | 52nd |
| Ball | 21.100 | 61st |
| Hoop | 19.750 | 68th |
| Ribbon | 18.750 | 67th |
| All-Around | 82.600 | 64th |
While Clubs stood out as her strongest routine, each routine shows how Indian rhythmic gymnastics is starting to build more balanced performances.
Why the New CoP Changes Everything
Introduced for the 2025–2028 Olympic cycle, the new Code of Points (CoP) makes artistry, musicality, and variety central to scoring. Routines can now include no more than 8 body difficulty elements and 15 apparatus difficulty elements. Dynamic rotations are capped, and repetition is heavily penalized.
The intention? To prevent routines from becoming mere showcases of difficult tricks and force gymnasts to blend creativity with technique.
For India, adapting to this is a challenge. Yet Kimaya’s routine shows Indian coaches and athletes are catching up, rethinking choreography, and embracing this new balance. Her Clubs routine, with high artistry (6.9 points), is proof of that adaptation.
“First Indian” or Not: Why It Still Matters
Is Kimaya definitely the first Indian to score 23.000 in Clubs? Complete historical data isn’t available publicly to confirm absolutely. But the important context is:
- Under the older CoP, scores tended to be higher due to different weighting.
- Under the new, more balanced and stricter CoP (introduced April 2025), scoring 23.000 in Clubs at a major FIG event is likely a first for an Indian gymnast.
That makes this performance a “landmark” not because it won medals, but because it shows a clear, measurable jump in Indian standards.
Kimaya’s performance should now serve as a benchmark for Indian rhythmic gymnastics. It says: “We can produce routines under the hardest rules and score in internationally respectable ranges.”
For India to build on this, it needs:
- More exposure: Sending gymnasts to more World Cups and Challenge Cups.
- Specialized coaching: Focus on artistry and musicality to match CoP demands.
- Grassroots development: Identifying and training younger gymnasts early.
- Financial backing: Sponsorships and government support to sustain elite training.
Importantly, Kimaya’s 23.000 becomes a target future gymnasts can aim to surpass not just in Clubs, but across apparatus, moving Indian scores closer to world-class ranges.
Kimaya Karle’s 23.000 in Clubs at the 2025 FIG World Challenge Cup isn’t a medal-winning performance. But it is something equally powerful: a landmark of progress.
It shows Indian rhythmic gymnastics is evolving, learning to thrive under tougher global standards, and no longer content with just participation. In a sport where artistry, technique, and confidence blend into one, Kimaya’s performance is proof that India is finding its rhythm on the world stage and the best is yet to come. 🇮🇳✨
