China became the first nation other than the United States to win a women’s team gymnastics title at the world championships in 16 years, prevailing in one of the closest competitions of that era.
China held off the United States by 0.233 points in Rotterdam, Netherlands, to win its first world team title since hosting the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Japan won bronze, its first Olympic or world women’s team medal in 60 years.
The United States has won the previous seven world team titles since 2011, all by at least two points.
China’s margin of victory Wednesday was the second smallest since the perfect 10 scoring system was replaced in 2006 after Russia beat the United States by 0.201 in 2010 – the last time the Americans did not win.
GYMNASTICS WORLDS: Results | Release schedule
Skye Blakely, Charleigh Bullock, Dulcy Caylor, Reese Esponda and Claire Pease combined to win silver for the United States, which also finished second in qualifying behind China.
“We had our ups and downs, uncontrollable things happened, but we never gave up the fight,” said Blakely, the only member of the quintet to ever compete in a world team event.
The final rotation was dramatic. The United States began the floor exercises 2.2 points behind, but scored 2.166 points more than China on floor in qualifying.
The United States entered the 12th and final routine overall for each nation eight-tenths of a point behind, but the final American gymnast, Esponda, had the top score on the final floor during qualifying, 0.833 more than the final Chinese gymnast, Qiu Qiyuan.
Esponda scored slightly lower than in qualifying, while Qiu scored slightly higher to clinch the title.
U.S. women’s gymnastics wins silver in team event
By a painfully slim margin of just 0.233 points, the U.S. women’s gymnastics team won silver in the team event behind China and ahead of Japan at the 2026 World Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The U.S. roster did not include any gymnasts with previous Olympic experience, the first time that has happened in a world team event since 2011, when the streak began.
Hezly Rivera, the youngest American athlete in any sport at the Paris Olympics at 16, made the world team but withdrew the day before qualifying in Rotterdam after suffering left ankle soreness last week.
Another team event will take place at the 2027 worlds in Chengdu, China, and the U.S. roster could be different.
“It (finishing second) gives us a lot of motivation,” said U.S. team leader Chellsie Memmel. “We know where we want to be and we know there’s still work to do. But we’re in the middle of the (Olympic) quad. We have time, and I think this will light a fire in them.”
A healthy Rivera could make a significant difference considering she won the national all-around title in 2025 and 2026.
Olympic gold medalists Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles have announced they will return to competition at some point, possibly in 2027, before showing up for the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
Another Olympic champion, Jade Carey, returned to elite gymnastics this season for the first time since Paris and was an alternate to this world team.
Simone Biles has not announced whether she will return to bid for a fourth Olympics.
The Worlds continue Thursday with the men’s all-around final, live Peacock and NBCSN at 1:30 p.m. ET.
The women’s all-around final, featuring Blakely and Pease, will take place Friday. At least one American woman has stood on every Olympic and world all-around podium since 2003, a streak of 23 world championships.
Rebeca Andrade became Brazil’s most decorated Olympic athlete in Paris, then told her coach she needed a break.
Gn sports
