The American women's winning streak at the world gymnastics championships came to an end in Rotterdam, Netherlands, where China took team gold and the United States finished second. The U.S. had won every world team title since 2011, and had taken every major team title in that span except for silver at the 2020 Olympic Games. The final margin was just 0.233.
The U.S. team was largely inexperienced. Hezly Rivera, the only 2024 Olympic team member on the squad, withdrew before qualifying with a left ankle injury. The Americans posted the top scores on three of four events, but the result turned on late moments: a fall by Rivera's replacement, Dulcy Caylor, on her beam dismount, a disputed difficulty score for Skye Blakely on beam, and errors by Reese Esponda on floor after a last-minute change to a tumbling pass. China gained more than four points on the U.S. on beam. Russia, without Angelina Melnikova and Viktoria Listunova, placed sixth.
Chellsie Memmel, the technical lead for the women's team, said beam and execution scores would be priorities. "It gives us a lot of motivation," she said. "We know where we want to be. We know there's still work to do, but you know, it's the middle of the quad, we have the time and I think it's going to light a fire."
Individually, the American women thrived. Blakely, 21, won the all-around title, while Claire Pease, 17, placed seventh after a fall on beam. Blakely, who endured an elbow injury at the 2021 Olympic trials and a ruptured Achilles tendon at the 2024 trials, became the ninth American woman to win the world all-around crown. She hit all 14 of her routines in Rotterdam and added bronze medals on vault and uneven bars. Russia's Liudmila Roshchina took silver in the all-around and China's Ke Qinqin bronze.
Pease won silver on vault and closed the meet by winning the floor title, finishing .300 ahead of teammate Esponda, who took silver. The seven medals won by the American women were the most of any country and more than double China's three on the women's side.
The American men had a harder week. After winning Olympic bronze in Paris, they finished sixth in the team final, more than four points off the podium and their worst result at the event in 20 years. Japan won gold, with Russia and China taking silver and bronze. Fred Richard fell from as high as sixth to ninth in the all-around, and Danila Leykin placed 12th. Japan's Daiki Hashimoto won his fourth straight all-around title by nearly two points.
Richard did win floor, becoming the first American man to claim the title since 2003. "I hope this is a lesson to everybody that you don't have to wait to get the win to say you will be a champion," the 22-year-old said.
Other stars continued their dominance. Rebeca Andrade of Brazil won her fourth world title on vault, her 10th world medal. Algeria's Kaylia Nemour, 19, took bars for the second straight time and added the balance beam title. China's Zou Jingyuan, 28, won his fifth world gold on parallel bars.
Questions about absent stars lingered. Simone Biles, who has not committed to a return, attended and presented the women's floor medals. Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Shilese Jones and Jade Carey are among those whose futures remain unsettled, as are Leanne Wong and Rivera. With 628 days until gymnastics begins at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the picture remains open.
