0.233 points: China ends U.S. women's 15-year world team title streak in Rotterdam

China defeated the United States by 0.233 points in the team final at the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The result ended a 15-year run in which the U.S. women had won every team gold at the competition since 2011. The final score difference was so small that it came down to a few specific errors late in the event.

The American squad entered the competition with a largely inexperienced roster. Hezly Rivera, the only member from the 2024 Olympic team, withdrew before qualifying due to a left ankle injury. Dulcy Caylor replaced her. The U.S. team recorded the highest scores on three of the four apparatus events, but China maintained a four-point advantage on the uneven bars. The deciding moments included a fall by Caylor on her beam dismount, a disputed difficulty score for Skye Blakely on the same apparatus, and errors by Reese Esponda on floor exercise.

Chellsie Memmel, the technical lead for the women's team, stated that the loss would serve as motivation for the remainder of the Olympic cycle. "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."

Despite the team finish, the American women won the most individual medals of any nation. Skye Blakely, 21, claimed the world all-around title, becoming the ninth American woman to achieve that distinction. She had previously missed Olympic teams due to an elbow injury in 2021 and an Achilles tendon rupture in 2024. Blakely also earned bronze medals on vault and uneven bars. Claire Pease, 17, finished seventh in the all-around and won the world title on floor exercise. She also took silver on vault.

The American men's team finished sixth, marking their worst result at the event in 20 years. They trailed the podium by more than four points. Japan, the defending Olympic champions, won the team title, with Russia taking silver and China bronze. The U.S. men struggled with execution errors across both competition days. Fred Richard, 22, won the floor exercise final, becoming the first American man to win that world title since 2003. Danila Leykin, making his world championship debut, finished 12th in the all-around.

Other individual results saw Brazil's Rebeca Andrade win her fourth world title on vault. The 29-year-old has collected 10 world medals in her career. Algeria's Kaliya Nemour, 19, won back-to-back world titles on uneven bars and balance beam. She had finished fourth in the all-around after an error on vault. These individual successes provided a counterpoint to the team result for the United States.

The competition in Rotterdam featured several high-profile absences. Defending world all-around champion Angelina Melnikova of Russia was denied a visa to enter the country. Simone Biles, the American star, has not announced a return to competition. Other American Olympians, including Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Jade Carey, are currently returning to elite training. The 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles are roughly 20 months away, and the results in Rotterdam shifted the landscape for team selection.