US women's reign faces its first test at gymnastics world championships

ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands — The gymnastics world championships continue today with a packed day of qualifications, including two men’s subdivisions and the first three women’s subdivisions.

Most notably, the U.S. women take center stage in subdivision 1.

USA TODAY’s Nancy Armour is on the ground in Rotterdam bringing you the latest live updates, reactions, analysis and highlights. Follow along.

I’m back at Ahoy Arena. We get started with a bang, with the Chinese men in the first of the remaining two qualifying sessions. Japan is the defending Olympic and world champion, but China bested its rivals twice this summer, at the Asian Championships and the Asian Games. So we’ll see if they can surpass what Japan did in qualifying on Saturday, Oct. 17.

A reminder: Japan tops the qualifying standings, followed by Britain, Russia and the United States.

03:41 AM ET, October 18 2026, Nancy Armour

• Skye Blakely (Frisco, Texas/University of Florida)

• Charleigh Bullock (Spotsylvania, Va./Capital Gymnastics National Training Center)

• Reese Esponda (Shenandoah, Texas/World Champions Centre)

• Claire Pease (Sunnyvale, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics)

• Dulcy Caylor (Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre)

• Non-traveling replacement athlete: Jade Carey (Phoenix, Ariz./Oregon State University Training Center)

• Withdrawn: Hezly Rivera (Plano, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics)

Skye Blakely (Frisco, Texas/University of Florida)

Charleigh Bullock (Spotsylvania, Va./Capital Gymnastics National Training Center)

Reese Esponda (Shenandoah, Texas/World Champions Centre)

Claire Pease (Sunnyvale, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics)

Dulcy Caylor (Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre)

Non-traveling replacement athlete: Jade Carey (Phoenix, Ariz./Oregon State University Training Center)

Withdrawn: Hezly Rivera (Plano, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics)

03:41 AM ET, October 18 2026, Nancy Armour

A gymnastics routine gets two scores: One for difficulty, also known as the D score or start value, and one for execution. Every gymnastics skill has a numerical value, and the D score is the sum total of the skills in a routine. (Except in vault, which is a single skill.) The execution score, or E score, reflects how well the skills were done. A gymnast starts with a 10.0, and deductions for flaws and form errors are taken from there.

Add the D and E scores together, and that’s your total for an apparatus.

In qualifying, teams will put four gymnasts up on each event and count their three best scores. The top eight countries advance to the team final, where scoring starts over. Each team puts up three gymnasts on every apparatus, and every score counts. (You’ll often hear this called three up, three count.) Have to count a fall, and your chances for gold are probably gone. Count two or three, and you’ll be watching the medals ceremony with the rest of the spectators.

The top 24 all-around gymnasts after qualifying advance to the final, with a limit of two per country. The top eight on each event following qualifying make the event finals, also with a limit of two per country.

03:40 AM ET, October 18 2026, Nancy Armour

The top three teams in the men’s and women’s team finals qualify for LA28. The remaining nine teams in the Olympic field will be determined at next year’s world championships, which are in Chengdu, China.

03:39 AM ET, October 18 2026, Nancy Armour

Two men’s subdivisions open today’s action before three women’s subdivisions wrap the day. Each block features at least two five-person teams as well as individuals whose countries don’t have a full team trying to qualify for either the all-around final or event finals. All times Eastern.

• 4 a.m., men’s subdivision 5: Belgium, Italy, China, Spain, all-around group 3, all-around group 6

• 6:10 a.m., men’s subdivision 6: Israel, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Germany, all-around group 10, all-around group 4

• 10 a.m., women’s subdivision 1: Germany, Romania, USA, all-around group 7

• 11:50 a.m., women’s subdivision 2: Japan, Australia, Belgium, all-around group 10

• 1:40 p.m., women’s subdivision 3: Italy, Mexico, all-around group 14, all-around group 8

4 a.m., men’s subdivision 5: Belgium, Italy, China, Spain, all-around group 3, all-around group 6

6:10 a.m., men’s subdivision 6: Israel, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Germany, all-around group 10, all-around group 4

10 a.m., women’s subdivision 1: Germany, Romania, USA, all-around group 7

11:50 a.m., women’s subdivision 2: Japan, Australia, Belgium, all-around group 10

1:40 p.m., women’s subdivision 3: Italy, Mexico, all-around group 14, all-around group 8

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