Nikita Nagornyy scored 15.300 points for a spectacular parallel bars routine ©Getty Images

Nikita Nagornyy was crowned world all-around champion as he claimed a second gold of the International Gymnastics Federation Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Stuttgart.

At the halfway mark, the European champion trailed American Sam Mikulak by 0.051 points, but it was the Russian who put together the most consistent rotations for world gold.

Mikulak's brief flirtation with the podium places finished with a 14.400 floor routine, as he stumbled back down the rankings at Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle.

The American had an error-strewn qualification round, finishing 27th overall.

The two gymnasts per country rule in all individual events saw three competitors taken out of the standings, leaving Mikulak as the 24th ranked of 24 gymnasts reaching the final.

He performed much better in the final, but his flurry with the medal rostrum was short-lived and he eventually finished in seventh on 85.691 points.

The 2018 world silver medallist Xiao Ruoteng looked on course for a second consecutive silver after five rotations, but a slip on the horizontal bar dropped his score to just 12.666 points.

It was to prove costly as he fell from second overall to fourth.

Reigning world champion Artur Dalaloyan relinquished his title to compatriot Nagornyy with disappointing scores on pommel horse and vault.

Nikita Nagornyy, right, claimed all-around gold ahead of Russian compatriot Artur Dalaloyan in Stuttgart ©Getty Images
Nikita Nagornyy, right, claimed all-around gold ahead of Russian compatriot Artur Dalaloyan in Stuttgart ©Getty Images

He didn't give up the fight, though, and produced a masterful 15.233 points on the parallel bars to climb back into third place.

He upgraded that bronze position to silver with a final 14.233 score on the horizontal bar.

Olympic silver medallist Oleg Verniaiev capitalised on Xiao's disappointment to grab a stunning bronze medal.

A lowly 13.666 on the horizontal bar had seemingly stolen away the Ukrainian's hopes of a medal, but a 14.100 floor routine saw him leapfrog Xiao.

Nagornyy was the last gymnast to go and he rounded off with 14.166 on the same apparatus to take a deserved gold.

He finished with a total of 88.772 points as Dalaloyan took silver on 87.165 points.

Verniaiev collected 86.973 points for bronze with Xiao falling agonisingly short of a medal on 86.690 points.

Nagornyy will bid for a third gold medal of the week in tomorrow's floor final.

On Sunday he will also contest the vault final and is a reserve for the parallel bars and horizontal bar finals, having qualified ninth and 11th, respectively.