China Narrowly Defeats U.S. Women For Gold In Gymnastics World Championships
ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - OCTOBER 21: Gold medalists Team China react after the Women's Team Final on day five of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Rotterdam 2026 at Ahoy on October 21, 2026 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesChina won gold in the women’s team final at the 2026 World Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, edging out the U.S. by just .233. Japan won bronze, its first medal as a team at the world championships since 1966.
The result is significant for China, marking their first world team title since 2006.
For the U.S., the silver medal is the team’s first since 2010, when they finished second to the Russian Federation in the same arena. The silver marks the end of an unprecedented seven-title streak, with Team USA winning every world team title since 2011. On October 21, 2026, that streak finally ended.
In addition to their new medals, the top three teams earned 2028 Olympic berths for their delegations, guaranteeing full team participation for China, the United States, and Japan.
Women’s Team Final Results
- Gold: China – 165.764
- Silver: United States – 165.531
- Bronze: Japan – 164.063
For the first time in many years, the women’s team title was anyone’s to win. As the top two qualifiers, China and the United States rotated together, beginning their competition on vault and closing the day on floor exercise.
World Gymnastics 2 (Russia) and Italy started their competition on bars, Japan and France on beam, and Brazil and Canada on floor. Here’s how the action unfolded in Rotterdam.
Rotation One: U.S. Takes Early Lead
Beginning on vault, Team USA looked to take advantage of one of the team’s strengths: power.
Charleigh Bullock led off the Americans with a reliably strong Yurchenko double full, earning a strong 14.133 for a sharp start. The second athlete up, Claire Pease nearly crashed her Cheng vault in warmups. She couldn’t afford a slip up now.
With ice in her veins, Pease powered down the runway, making strong contact with the table to put forward her strongest effort in Rotterdam. She earned a 14.200, a strong score to keep the Americans in contention. Skye Blakely closed the rotation with a bang, delivering a near-stuck Yurchenko double to close a stellar American opener with a huge 14.300.
The team totaled 42.633, a .500 improvement from their total in the qualifying round. Comparatively, China scored over a point below their qualifying total on vault, setting up a strong start for Team USA.
Across the arena, Italy and France got off to hot starts on bars and beam respectively, with both teams posting scores above 14 from top athletes. After a disappointing start, China fell outside of the top five – for now.
After One Rotation: 1. United States: 42.633, 2. Italy: 42.166 3. France: 41.366, 4. WG2: 41.332, 5. Japan: 41.066
Rotation Two: U.S. Extends Lead
Looking to distance themselves from the field, Team USA headed to bars.
Bullock led off the Americans again and would close her world competition with this uneven bars routine. Bullock showed vast improvement from her routine in the qualifying round, sticking her dismount for a 14.000, improving on a 13.566 from qualifications.
Minutes later, fellow world championship rookie Claire Pease delivered the second consecutive stuck dismount for the Americans, earning a 14.366 – a three-tenths improvement from the qualifying round. The Americans were rolling.
Last up, Skye Blakely – the uneven bars finalist. Blakely flew through her intricate release moves, landing with a small hop. The veteran broke into immediate celebration and tears. Team USA was halfway through, and they looked fantastic.
Over on beam, the second-place Italians began their rotation with a fall from Sofia Tonnelli, opening the door for a shift in the standings. Though their second athlete was Olympic beam medalist Manila Esposito, the veteran collapsed on her dismount, falling to her back for a 13.100. Next up, Alena Glotova of Russia responded with nerves of her own, falling from the beam on her acrobatic series.
Though Russia was imperfect, Italy couldn’t stop the bleeding. The final athlete fell from the beam on her series, leaving the Italians with three falls in one rotation. While Italy crumbled, Japan and France shone on floor exercise, tumbling to contention through the midway point.
After Two Rotations: 1. United States: 85.399, 2. China: 83.432, 3. Japan: 81.499, 4. France: 81.465, 5. Canada: 80.631.
Rotation Three: China Surges Ahead
Of all the rotations, rotation three would be the most crucial in the fight for gold. Team China decimated the field on balance beam in the qualifying round, where they outscored the Americans by over 3.5 points. A similar result would be devastating for the Americans.
Qinqin Ke opened the rotation with a massive 14.400, a huge improvement from her qualifying score. The pressure was on for Dulcy Caylor. Though Caylor could not match Ke’s score, she needed a hit.
Smiling at her teammates before her dismount, Caylor looked confident – until she wasn’t. Caylor fell on her dismount, closing an otherwise strong routine with a shocking fall. After a long wait, Caylor’s score was posted: a 12.333.
With that, Team USA would need perfection moving forward – and some help from the Chinese team. The help wouldn’t come. Defending balance beam world champion Qingying Zhang earned a staggering 15.066 in the second spot, effectively erasing any deficit between China and the Americans.
Nonetheless, Team USA had to continue hitting.
Next up, Claire Pease. She scored just a 13.000 in qualifications, and Team USA needed much more. Nailing her connection series, Pease floated through her routine with composure. She closed her routine with a strong 2.5-twisting dismount to earn a 13.500. Strong, but far from what they needed.
Last up for China: Qiyuan Qiu. Though Qiu looked hesitant on her mount and landed short on her dismount, she floated through her routine with ease. With three hit sets, China would surely take the lead.
By how much – was up to Skye Blakely. The only athlete left to go, Blakely mounted the beam in a subdued and tense arena. Nailing her highly difficult opening skill, Blakely looked composed. Simply needing to hit her dismount, Blakely did exactly that. With the pressure of the team on her shoulders, she delivered.
After Three Rotations: 1. China: 126.798, 2. United States: 124.598, 3. Japan: 123.631, 4. France: 121.398, 5. Canada: 120.230
Rotation Four: China, U.S., Japan Battle for Gold
With just one rotation to go, China rocketed into a two-point lead over the Americans. Though the Americans outscored the Chinese on floor in qualifications, the deficit would be difficult to overcome. Still, they would try.
Needing to put her beam disappointment behind her, Dulcy Caylor opened Team USA’s floor rotation. Caylor delivered for her team, stepping in into Hezly Rivera’s spot to score a huge 13.600 in the lead-off spot. With a 13.033 from China in the second spot, the U.S. gained nearly six tenths with one routine.
Claire Pease was up next, opening with a massive Moors tumbling pass. Nailing every pass after it, the first-time world championships team member nailed her exercise, delivering a show-stopping and dramatic exercise. The judges felt so, awarding Pease a huge 13.933.
Qinqin Ke of China went next, relying on superior execution in place of higher difficulty. Ke received a 13.100, keeping China’s lead over the U.S. Last up for the Americans, Reese Esponda would have to deliver her best.
Though Esponda nailed her second tumbling pass, the 18-year-old stumbled on three of four tumbling passes, hurting the Americans’ chances of overtaking the Chinese. Though Japan looked to be in contention for gold through two routines, a fall in the final spot ended their bid for gold.
Esponda received a 13.400, meaning Qiquan Qiu needed to score at least a 12.6 to claim gold. Though Qiquan performed lower-difficulty tumbling, she delivered the exercise with superb execution. Qiquan received a strong 12.833, edging the U.S. by just over two tenths.
After Four Rotations: 1. China: 165.764, 2. United States: 165.531, 3. Japan: 164.063, 4. France: 161.130, 5. Canada: 159.730
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
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