ROTTERDAM, Netherlands : China edged the United States by 0.233 points to win their first women’s team title in 20 years at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships on Wednesday, ending the Americans’ run of seven consecutive gold medals.
China finished with 165.764 points, ahead of the United States on 165.531, while Japan took bronze with 164.063. The top three teams also secured qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The victory was China’s second women’s world team title, following its breakthrough triumph in 2006. The United States had won seven successive championships since 2010.
China, which topped qualifying, rallied on the balance beam after trailing the United States through the opening two rotations.
The Americans posted the highest team scores on vault and uneven bars, with 42.633 and 42.766 respectively. China scored 40.966 and 42.466 on the same apparatuses, leaving the team 1.967 points behind at the halfway stage.
Zhang Qingying delivered the highest balance beam score of the final, with 15.066, while Ke Qinqin added 14.400 and Qiu Qiyuan contributed 13.900. China’s combined 43.366 on the apparatus, compared with the U.S. total of 39.199, turned the deficit into a 2.200-point lead heading into the final rotation.
The United States mounted a challenge on floor exercise, where Claire Pease scored 13.933, Dulcy Caylor 13.600 and Reese Esponda 13.400 for a team total of 40.933.
China responded with 13.033 from Zhang and 13.100 from Ke before Qiu closed the competition with 12.833, enough to secure the title by the narrowest of margins.
Japan’s bronze marked its first women’s team medal at the world championships since 1966, ending a 60-year wait. Aiko Sugihara contributed 14.200 on vault and 13.900 on floor to help Japan finish ahead of fourth-placed France.
France scored 161.130, followed by Brazil with 159.730, Russia with 159.394, Italy with 158.129 and Canada with 158.096.
The championships continue with the men’s all-around final on Thursday and the women’s all-around final on Friday, followed by the apparatus finals over the weekend.
