The U.S. women’s gymnastics team won gold in the team final of the 2022 World Championships in Liverpool on Tuesday with a final score of 166.564. The Americans, along with second-place Great Britain and third-place Canada, automatically earned a berth to the 2024 Paris Olympics. Here’s what you should know:
- The team consisted of five gymnasts: reigning Olympic floor exercise champion Jade Carey, Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles, 2021 world all-around silver medalist Leanne Wong, Shilese Jones and Skye Blakely.
- The U.S. beat Great Britain by 3.20 points.
- Great Britain’s silver was its highest finish ever at a world championship, and Canada’s bronze was its first medal in the women’s team final.
Background
Team USA won silver at the Tokyo Olympics and has won every gold in the women’s team event of the world championships dating back to 2011. The Americans are the only team in history to have won six consecutive team titles.
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The International Gymnastics Federation indefinitely banned Russian gymnasts from international competitions due to the country invading Ukraine, meaning the gymnasts who won gold representing the Russian Olympic Committee during the 2020 Olympics did not compete at the 2022 World Championships.
The U.S. team was without defending national champion Konnor McClain, who didn’t contend for a spot on the world championships team after suffering a back injury shortly before the selection camp.
How the U.S. clinched gold
Prior to the competition, there were some questions swirling about which teams may challenge the U.S. at these championships. The Americans dispelled any doubts by finishing first in the qualification round and hit 11 of 12 routines in the team final to once again top the podium in dominant fashion. Carey’s elevated difficulty on vault, Jones’ high-flying performance in the anchor spot on uneven bars and Chiles’ ability to nail her performances on every event despite a fluke beam routine in qualifications left no room for any other teams to slide into first place.
Come for @ChilesJordan's beam routine. Stay for her celebration. 🙌#WGC2022 | 📺 @peacock pic.twitter.com/96b07VLZ6H
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) November 1, 2022
Where’s Simone Biles?
The four-time Olympic gold medalist hasn’t competed since winning bronze on balance beam in Tokyo, but she recently confirmed on Twitter that she hasn’t retired.
I haven’t retired though 💖 just working on my mental health. https://t.co/CU88pLWCSE
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) September 27, 2022
Biles has 25 total world championship medals and seven Olympic medals, making her the most decorated gymnast in history.
Routines worth watching
All four of Chiles’ sets were rock solid, but her floor routine is especially entertaining. It’s a delightful mix of fun choreography and difficult tumbling passes set to a mash-up of songs by Lizzo, Cardi B, Normani and more. Jones’ bar routine was also a highlight, as she floats during her release moves and transitions between the bars with ease.
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What’s next for Team USA?
Jones and Carey will compete in the individual all-around final Thursday. Carey and Chiles will compete for individual medals on vault while Jones vies for a medal on bars Saturday. On Sunday, the final day of the championships, Blakely has a shot at a medal in the balance beam final. Chiles and Carey will wrap up their world championships in the floor exercise final the same day.
(Photo: Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images)
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