ROTTERDAM, Netherlands — The U.S. men can believe they're one of the best gymnastics teams in the world all they want.
It doesn't make it so.
If you want to be considered in the same class as Japan, Russia and China — who won gold, silver and bronze, respectively at the 2026 world championships here — you're going to have to prove it on the competition floor. If you want to generate a buzz among the home fans ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, you're going to have to do something to earn it.
Otherwise, it's nothing more than talk.
Watch Gymnastics World Championship Finals on Peacock!
The U.S. men had their worst finish in the team final at worlds in 20 years on Tuesday, Oct. 20, leaving without a medal and without one of the three
spots at LA28 that were up for grabs here. Even with the expected return next year of Brody Malone, a three-time U.S. champion and two-time world champion on high bar, and Paris Olympian Asher Hong, the Americans appear miles away from the podium, let alone the gold medal they always talk about wanting to win.
"Sometimes that’s just sport. Sometimes you just don’t have your day and that’s OK," Shane Wiskus said. "We’ll be back next year, and it’s not the end for us. We know that if everything went to plan, we’re still right up in the hunt with the rest of them."
Are they, though?
Worst finish in 20 years should be a reality check for US men's gymnastics
The U.S. men's sixth-place finish was their worst at the world championships or Olympics since 2006, when they were 13th in qualifying and failed to make the team final. Their score of 245.161 points was more than 6 points back from Japan, which won its second consecutive world title to go along with its gold medal from the Paris Olympics. They were more than 4 points behind bronze medalist China, with that noted gymnastics powerhouse of Switzerland between them.
"I think we’re a top-three team, and today we didn’t show it," U.S. coach Syque Caesar said. "... This may just be exactly what we need to have a good run in 2028."
Or maybe it should be a harsh reality check.
The U.S. men were incredibly proud of their bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, which followed a bronze medal at the 2023 world championships. As they should have been. An important piece of context, however, is both medals were won when Russia was banned because of its unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Now Russia is back, with silver medals hanging around their necks.
If the Americans want back on the podium, they're going to have to step up their game and get help from one of the Big Three.
"Moving forward, we’ll just take what we learned, bring it back to the gym and come back fighting," Wiskus said.
Heart isn't US men's problem. Delivering consistently is.
The U.S. men are a likeable bunch. They work hard, and no one can ever question how much they care. But they don't give out medals for congeniality at the Olympics or world championships. The U.S. men are going to have to prove they can deliver with the stakes are the highest.
The Americans didn't just have one bad routine or even one bad event. They had a bad meet, from start to finish. They struggled in qualifying, with falls on parallel bars and pommel horse, and significant errors on floor exercise. They fell behind early in the team final, then fell apart in the second half of the meet.
Danila Leykin, the rookie of the team, fell on high bar and had rough landings on several passes on floor exercise. Fred Richard fell on pommel horse. They didn't get the big routines they expected from Kameron Nelson on still rings or vault.
Yes, the Japanese and the Russians and the Chinese had mistakes. But they're good enough across the board to make up for them.
The Americans, whether they will admit it, are not.
"The more often you’re in these scenarios, the more accustomed you become to them," Wiskus said. "This one is definitely going to carry with us for awhile, and it’s going to be motivating for, not just us, but all the boys back home."
LA Olympics ratchets up pressure to be best in the world
If the U.S. men couldn't handle the pressure here, what happens at a home Olympics? The expectations will be exponentially higher, the spotlight searingly hot. These world championships are going to feel like an intrasquad meet by comparison.
"It's just different," Caesar said of the pressure at world championships and the Olympics. "Ultimately, no, you can’t simulate the Olympics, you cannot simulate the world championships. But you can get really close."
The U.S. men have less than two years to figure it out. Or they're going to fall flat, with all of America there to see.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The US men wanted to be contenders at gymnastics worlds. Instead they got a reality check.
Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.
