Simone Biles has yet to decide on LA 2028, and the younger US gymnasts are already winning big. At the world championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the 29-year-old handed out awards while Team USA led the medal count with three gold, three silver, and two bronze medals. China came in behind the Americans overall.
Claire Pease, 17, gave the US its last gold with a 13.866 in the floor final. Fellow American Reese Esponda, also 17, took silver, just 0.300 points back. Quite a result for two teens making their world championship debuts.
Pease had a lot to be happy about, based on her chat with Peacock. The crowd gave her a warm welcome, and she was glad to perform at such a big event. She also felt her landings were more in check, with better control over her power.
The Texas-based gymnast works with Valeri Liukin at WOGA Gymnastics. Her medal count reached three after she took second on vault, behind Brazil's Rebeca Andrade, and helped the US women earn silver in the team event.
Esponda had a rough path to her medal. Judges had ruled that one part of her floor routine counted as a sideways move, not a forward one. That left the US floor champ short of a rule she had to meet, even though the move had passed prior checks.
Rather than let that mess up her event, Esponda made a late change to her tumbling pass. She then led the floor qualifiers. Her team final had been a letdown, but she came back with much better landings and her first medal at the world level.
And the two teens had built a close bond on the trip. Esponda was proud of how she fought back, and both gymnasts got to share the podium after all that work.
Skye Blakely, 21, had quite the comeback as well. An Achilles tear had wrecked her shot at Paris, while another injury at the US trials had kept her out of Tokyo. Rotterdam gave her a much better result, with all-around gold and bronze medals on vault and uneven bars.
The Paris gold squad had a very different look at this event. Hezly Rivera made the roster but had to pull out due to an injury. Sunisa Lee and Jordan Chiles have plans to return, while Jade Carey has resumed training and served as an alternate who did not travel.
Biles remains the big question. Since her Paris run of three golds and one silver, she has stayed away from meets. A fourth Olympic trip remains an option, but she has made no firm call on it.
On the men's side, Frederick Richard, 22, beat Britain's Jake Jarman for floor gold. Richard had helped the American men take team bronze at Paris, their first Olympic team medal since 2008.
China still gave the US women a hard test, beating them for team gold. Algeria's Kaylia Nemour had a great meet as well, winning both the uneven bars and balance beam titles.
Still, the American women's team silver earned a spot at the Los Angeles Olympics. Pease, Esponda, and Blakely have each made a strong case for a place on that roster, even with several past champions eyeing a return.
Claire Pease, 17, gave the US its last gold with a 13.866 in the floor final. Fellow American Reese Esponda, also 17, took silver, just 0.300 points back. Quite a result for two teens making their world championship debuts.
Pease had a lot to be happy about, based on her chat with Peacock. The crowd gave her a warm welcome, and she was glad to perform at such a big event. She also felt her landings were more in check, with better control over her power.
The Texas-based gymnast works with Valeri Liukin at WOGA Gymnastics. Her medal count reached three after she took second on vault, behind Brazil's Rebeca Andrade, and helped the US women earn silver in the team event.
Esponda had a rough path to her medal. Judges had ruled that one part of her floor routine counted as a sideways move, not a forward one. That left the US floor champ short of a rule she had to meet, even though the move had passed prior checks.
Rather than let that mess up her event, Esponda made a late change to her tumbling pass. She then led the floor qualifiers. Her team final had been a letdown, but she came back with much better landings and her first medal at the world level.
And the two teens had built a close bond on the trip. Esponda was proud of how she fought back, and both gymnasts got to share the podium after all that work.
Skye Blakely, 21, had quite the comeback as well. An Achilles tear had wrecked her shot at Paris, while another injury at the US trials had kept her out of Tokyo. Rotterdam gave her a much better result, with all-around gold and bronze medals on vault and uneven bars.
The Paris gold squad had a very different look at this event. Hezly Rivera made the roster but had to pull out due to an injury. Sunisa Lee and Jordan Chiles have plans to return, while Jade Carey has resumed training and served as an alternate who did not travel.
Biles remains the big question. Since her Paris run of three golds and one silver, she has stayed away from meets. A fourth Olympic trip remains an option, but she has made no firm call on it.
On the men's side, Frederick Richard, 22, beat Britain's Jake Jarman for floor gold. Richard had helped the American men take team bronze at Paris, their first Olympic team medal since 2008.
China still gave the US women a hard test, beating them for team gold. Algeria's Kaylia Nemour had a great meet as well, winning both the uneven bars and balance beam titles.
Still, the American women's team silver earned a spot at the Los Angeles Olympics. Pease, Esponda, and Blakely have each made a strong case for a place on that roster, even with several past champions eyeing a return.
