U.S. Gymnastics Streak Ends in Rotterdam

The nine-day gymnastics competition in Rotterdam has concluded, ending a long run of American dominance in the team event.

The United States finished in second place behind China in the team final. This result ended a streak of team gold medals at world championships that had lasted since 2011. The score difference between the two top teams was only 0.233 points.

The American squad faced significant absences. Angelina Melnikova, the defending all-around champion, was denied a visa to enter the Netherlands. Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Jade Carey also did not compete. Hezly Rivera, the only member of the 2024 Olympic team on the roster, withdrew before qualifying due to a left ankle injury.

Chellsie Memmel, the technical lead for the women's team, said the team would focus on beam performance and execution scores moving forward. She stated that the result would motivate the group. "It gives us a lot of motivation," Memmel 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."

Individual results showed the American women remained competitive. Skye Blakely won the world all-around title, becoming the ninth American woman to achieve that mark. She had previously missed Olympic teams due to injuries in 2021 and 2024. "Throughout the meet, I was telling myself, 'Do it for the girl in 2021 and the girl in 2024 who couldn't do everything, just fight for her,'" Blakely said after her floor routine. "That's what I kept telling myself: 'I am capable, I am ready' and I made every version of myself extremely proud."

Claire Pease, 17, won the world title on floor exercise. She finished as the final competitor in the event. Pease scored 0.300 points higher than teammate Reese Esponda, who took silver. Blakely also earned bronze medals on vault and uneven bars. The American women collected seven medals in total, the highest count among all nations.

The American men's team finished in sixth place. This was their worst result at world championships in 20 years. They trailed the gold medalist Japan by more than six points. Japan's Daiki Hashimoto won the all-around title for the fourth consecutive time. He finished nearly two points ahead of the rest of the field.

Frederick Richard, 22, won the first world title of his career on floor exercise. He became the first American man to win that event 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," Richard said. "You don't have to know when it's going to happen or how it's going to happen but believing it every second of every day does pay off. I'm proof of that now."

Rebeca Andrade of Brazil won the vault title, adding her fourth world title to her record. Kaliya Nemour of Algeria won titles on uneven bars and balance beam. Nemour, 19, secured her second consecutive world title on bars despite a fourth-place finish in the all-around.