With two Olympic champions in the field, the first two women to qualify for the U.S. world championships team are rookies.
Claire Pease locked up her spot on the five-woman worlds team by winning the all-around at a selection camp on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Charleigh Bullock also got an automatic spot, taking advantage of Hezly Rivera's two falls on uneven bars to leapfrog the Paris Olympian and finish second in combined standings from camp and last month's national championships.
When she was announced as the second automatic qualifier, Bullock's mouth dropped open. This will be the first worlds for Bullock, who just turned 16 in July.
The remaining three team members, as well as a traveling alternate, will be named following a second day of competition
on Thursday, Oct. 1. But it's a good bet Rivera, Skye Blakely and Reese Esponda will round out the team.
Please join us in congratulating the first two members of our 2026 Women’s World Championships Team, presented by @Xfinity: Charleigh Bullock & Claire Pease! pic.twitter.com/4JEYPG70pM
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) September 30, 2026
Spot at Los Angeles Olympics on line at worlds
The world championships, Oct. 17-25 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, are the first chance to lock up spots for the Los Angeles Olympics, with the top three teams qualifying. The U.S. women have won team gold at every worlds going back to 2011, and have not finished lower than second since 2001.
But this will be a young team, with as many as four gymnasts competing at their first worlds team. If their performances at camp were any indication, they'll do just fine.
Pease had finished second to Rivera at last month's U.S. championships, which counted for 40% of the scores used to determine the two automatic spots. But Pease made it clear she could be a contender for the all-around podium at worlds, posting a 56.5 that gave her a combined score of 78.220, more than a point ahead of Bullock.
Pease, the 2024 U.S. junior champion, set the tone with her first routine, scoring a 13.9 on floor exercise that was the best of the meet for that event. She upgraded her vault since nationals, and the Cheng – a roundoff and half-turn onto the table by a front laid-out somersault with1.5 twists – and landed it with barely a wobble. Her score, a 14.5, was the highest for anyone on vault.
Pease's uneven bars were efficient but solid, and her only real blip of the day came on balance beam, when she wobbled on a leap and had to stop and bend over to steady herself.
Bullock, who is in her first year at the senior level, was solid on every event. But her consistency, coupled with Rivera's struggles, were enough to get her the second spot.
Best of the rest
Though 12 gymnasts are at camp, Blakely and Esponda separated themselves from the pack.
Blakely, who was a lock for the Paris team until she blew out her Achilles, had the second-highest all-around score, a 56.5. Her uneven bars were exquisite, and should put her in the mix for a medal on the event at worlds. She also had the best score of the day on balance beam, a 14.25.
Esponda was fourth in the all-around, but had the best score on floor exercise.
As for Rivera, expect her to show on Day 2 why she came in as the favorite. She was clearly upset after her two falls on uneven bars yet she came right back with an effortless, and error-free, routine on balance beam. She also tied for the third-highest score on floor exercise.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Claire Pease, Charleigh Bullock first gymnasts on U.S. world team
