China wins team gold at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships — Al Jazeera

China won gold in the women’s team competition at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, finishing 0.233 points ahead of the United States. The Chinese gymnasts scored 165.764 points and prevented the Americans from winning an eighth consecutive team title.

Decisive floor exercise

Before the final floor exercise, Qiu Qiyuan needed to score more than 12.600 points to secure victory for China. She received 12.833 points. This gave the Chinese team its first world championship gold in the women’s team competition since 2006.

According to Al Jazeera, China also finished first in qualification. Japan came third, 1.468 points behind the U.S. team, while France took fourth place.

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U.S. mistakes on the balance beam

The defending U.S. team led at the halfway point of the competition thanks to strong performances in the vault and uneven bars. Skye Blakely was the only gymnast on the team who also competed for the U.S. squad that won its seventh consecutive title in 2023.

However, 18-year-old Kaylor Dalsi made a mistake on the balance beam and scored 12.333 points. The Americans lost more than four points to the Chinese team on that apparatus. Zhang Qingying, who was the best in qualification on the balance beam, scored 15.066 points for her routine.

Simone Biles did not compete for the U.S. team. The 23-time world champion, including a five-time winner of the team competition, took a break from her career and has not competed since the 2024 Olympics in Paris, where she won three gold medals.