The U.S. women had the second-best qualifying score into the World Gymnastics Championships team final Wednesday, while American Skye Blakely qualified second into Friday’s all-around final in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
China had the top score in qualifying (164.996), edging the U.S. (164.529). At every Olympics and World Championships (with a team event) since 2007, the top team in women’s qualifying went on to win the title, even though scores are reset for the final (Wednesday, 1:30 p.m. ET, Peacock and NBCSN).
Blakely, making her world all-around debut in her fourth championships, totaled 55.465 points, just behind Kaylia Nemour of Algeria (55.999).
Blakely returned to elite all-around competition this year for the first time since tearing an Achilles before the 2024 Olympic Trials, when she had been a favorite to make the team for Paris.
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“I already cried, but it just means the world to me,” said Blakely, who also tore an elbow ligament warming up for the Tokyo Olympic Trials. “Knowing how much I’ve been through — two major surgeries, a lot of hardships, ups and downs.”
Blakely will be joined in Friday’s all-around final by worlds rookie Claire Pease, who qualified seventh.
The U.S. women won the last seven world team titles dating to 2011, plus put at least one woman on the individual all-around podium at every Olympics and worlds since 2003 — a streak of 23 consecutive global championships.
This year’s five-woman U.S. team includes zero gymnasts with Olympic experience, a first for the U.S. at a worlds with a team event since 2011, the year the streak began.
Hezly Rivera, the youngest U.S. Olympian across all sports in Paris at age 16, was on the original team for worlds but withdrew Saturday for medical reasons.
Three U.S. women competed in the all-around in qualifying, where up to two per country can make the all-around final. Charleigh Bullock, at 16 the youngest American to compete at worlds since 2018, placed 14th overall in qualifying.
Americans also qualified into all four women’s individual event finals -- vault on Saturday (Pease and Blakely), uneven bars on Saturday (Blakely), balance beam on Sunday (Blakely) and floor exercise on Sunday (Reese Esponda and Pease).
The U.S. men qualified fifth into Tuesday’s eight-team final, where the top qualifier was Olympic champion Japan.
Frederick Richard, the lone 2024 Olympian on the team, and 19-year-old senior worlds rookie Danila Leykin were 11th and 24th in qualifying to make Thursday’s all-around final.
Richard also made the floor exercise final, while 2025 World bronze medalist Patty Hoopes reached the pommel horse final. Both are Saturday.
