{
  "id": 15946314,
  "title": "China slips by the U.S. to earn gold in the women's team final at the world gymnastics championships",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/china-slips-by-the-u-s-to-earn-gold-in-the-womens-team-final-at-the",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-21T20:31:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/china-slips-u-earn-gold-203118776.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Rotterdam, Netherlands (AP) — The once-dominant U.S. women's gymnastics team saw their seven-year run of world championship titles come to an end. China pulled off a remarkable performance on balance beam in the third rotation to take the lead and then managed to hold on for gold in a tense team final on Wednesday. The Chinese team scored 165.764, just narrowly edging out the Americans at 165.531, marking the first time China had won a gold at a major international competition since the 2008 Olympics and the first at the world championships since 2006.\n\nJapan secured the bronze, its first podium finish at the World Championships in 60 years. France placed fourth, while Russia, competing for the first time since their Olympic gold in 2020, struggled from the start, finishing sixth due to their lack of experienced veterans. The U.S. team led by nearly two points after the first two rotations following excellent performances on vault and uneven bars, but they lost control on balance beam.\n\nChina's strong showings on this event, which requires gymnasts to perform on a 4-inch-wide piece of wood 4 feet off the ground, quickly closed the gap. Qinqin Ke and Zhang Qingying delivered spectacular routines, with Zhang's score of 15.066 being the highest of any athlete on any event. Dulcy Caylor's fall on her dismount opened the way for China to take a lead of over two points heading into the floor exercise.\n\nCaylor, who replaced 2024 Olympic gold medalist and two-time national champion Hezly Rivera (who withdrew due to an ankle injury), and teammates Claire Pease and Reese Esponda put pressure on China, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Chinese team from winning. Despite China's routines lacking the difficulty of the U.S. team's, they avoided significant mistakes that could have allowed the Americans to maintain their dominance.\n\nThe victory by China, featuring several debutantes in a major international competition outside of the Olympics, increases the stakes heading into the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. U.S. stars like 2020 Olympic all-around champion Suni Lee and two-time Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey are looking ahead to Los Angeles. The biggest uncertainty centers around whether superstar Simone Biles, the most decorated women's gymnast of all time, will join the U.S. team. Biles recently stated she is nearing a decision. The U.S. team's performance in Rotterdam, while respectable, leaves room for speculation that they may need Biles' performance at her best to secure a win.",
  "summary": "ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — The U. women's gymnastics team’s long run of dominance at the world championships is over.",
  "key_points": [
    "China defeats U.S. to win first gold at world championships since 2008",
    "China edges U.S. 165.764 to 165.531 in team final",
    "Japan claims bronze, first podium finish in 60 years"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}