Blakely and Pease Win Gold as U.S. Team Streak Ends in Rotterdam

The margin was 0.233 points.

That is the difference between the United States and China in the women's team final at the 2026 World Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam. The result ended a 15-year streak in which the American women won every major team title, with the sole exception being silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The U.S. team had won every World Championship team gold since 2011. In Rotterdam, they placed second. The squad was largely inexperienced and missing key veterans. Angelina Melnikova, the defending individual all-around champion, was denied a visa. Simone Biles did not compete. American Olympians Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Jade Carey were also absent as they manage their returns to elite competition. Hezly Rivera, the only member from the 2024 Olympic team, withdrew before qualifying due to a left ankle injury.

Despite the loss, the U.S. posted the highest scores on three of the four events. The final standing hinged on late errors, including a fall by Dulcy Caylor on beam and a disputed difficulty score for Skye Blakely on the same apparatus. China maintained a four-point advantage over the U.S. on beam.

Chellsie Memmel, the technical lead for the women's team, stated that beam and execution scores would be immediate priorities. She described the result as a long-term benefit.

"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."

The individual finals confirmed American dominance. Skye Blakely won the all-around title, becoming the ninth American woman to do so. She finished ahead of Russia's Liudmila Roshchina and China's Ke Qinqin. Claire Pease, 17, won the floor exercise gold and took silver on vault. The U.S. women collected seven overall medals, more than double the three earned by China.

The American men finished sixth in the team final, their worst result at this event in 20 years. They trailed Japan, the Olympic champions, by more than six points. Fred Richard won the floor exercise gold, becoming the first American man to claim that 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," Richard said.

Rebeca Andrade won her fourth world title on vault. Kaliya Nemour of Algeria won gold on uneven bars and beam. The next major competition on the calendar is the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The team selection process for that event will begin in earnest in the coming months.