ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands — The U.S. women head to the world gymnastics championships with their eyes on the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Paris gold medalist Hezly Rivera and two-time world champion Skye Blakely headline a young American squad that will try to qualify for LA28 at these worlds, which run Oct. 17-25. The top three in the team competition secure spots in Los Angeles, while everyone else will have to wait until next year to qualify for the 12-country Olympic field.
Blakely is the only American who's been to a world championships before, having been part of the teams that won gold in 2022 and 2023. Though Rivera is already an Olympic champion, these are her first worlds because she was too young to compete in 2023 and missed
last year with an ankle injury. Charleigh Bullock, Reese Esponda and Claire Pease are all competing at their first major international competition.
Here's a closer look at the five women on the U.S. world team.
Skye Blakely
- Age: 21
- Hometown: Frisco, Texas
- Gym: Trains at the University of Florida
- Best event: Uneven bars
What I’m looking for: Consistency on balance beam. With a 6.2 difficulty score, Blakely has the highest scoring potential of any of the Americans on balance beam. And it’s not even close. But she fell in both the team and event finals at the 2022 world championships, and again in qualifying at the 2023 worlds. She fell off beam on Day 2 at both nationals and the selection camp. Now, because of that D score, Blakely can have a fall and still score high enough to make it worth having her in the team final. (Even with her fall in 2022, she had the ninth-best score of the 24 gymnasts in the team final.) But with Russia back, the Americans can’t afford to give away anything.
Fun facts: This is Blakely’s fourth world championships, and she has two team golds from her previous appearances. Considered a lock for Paris team until injuring her Achilles at Olympic trials. A two-time All-American this past season at Florida. Majoring in health and education behavior.
Charleigh Bullock
- Age: 16
- Hometown: Spotsylvania, Virginia
- Gym: Trains at Capital Gymnastics
- Best event: Uneven bars
What I’m looking for: How she handles the nerves at her first major international meet. Bullock only turned 16 in July, making this her first season at the senior level, and she looked nervous during warmups at both nationals and the selection camp. But she proved to be a gamer when it was time to compete, winning the bronze medal at the U.S. championships, then locking her spot on the world team with a second-place finish at the selection camp. Bullock will for sure be used on uneven bars in the team final, maybe as many as three other events, and the U.S. will be counting on her to hit.
Fun facts: USA Gymnastics’ women’s athlete of the year and sportsperson of the year in 2026. One of four children, and all their names start with C. Favorite food is pomegranates.
Reese Esponda
- Age: 17
- Hometown: Shenandoah, Texas
- Gym: Trains at World Champions Centre
- Best event: Floor exercise
What I’m looking for: How she harnesses her power. Esponda is a powerful gymnast — no surprise when floor exercise and vault are her best events. But the competition surface at the world championships, and Olympics, can be extra bouncy because it’s on a podium. Esponda is going to need to get a feel quickly for how to control her power so she doesn’t fly out of bounds on floor or bounce back on vault. She did a good job of this at nationals, but there will be additional adrenaline at her first world championships.
Fun facts: Trains with Dulcy Caylor, the world team’s traveling alternate, and trained with Simone Biles ahead of Paris Olympics. Originally from Helena, Montana. Committed to LSU. Brings a “fairy box” to every meet that her grandmother has filled with glitter, vintage charms and trinkets to bring her luck.
Claire Pease
- Age: 18
- Hometown: Sunnyvale, Texas
- Gym: Trains at WOGA
- Best event: Balance beam
What I’m looking for: How her Cheng vault looks on a competition surface. Pease debuted a Cheng — roundoff onto the takeoff board, half-twist onto the table followed by laid-out somersault with 1.5 twists — at the world team selection camp and it looked terrific. The Cheng’s 5.6 difficulty score is 0.6 higher than the Yurchenko double most of the top gymnasts do, making it a significant upgrade for both Pease and the U.S. women. But worlds will be the first time Pease competes the Cheng on a hard surface, and that could affect her landings.
Fun fact: Won the all-around at selection camp. Was the 2024 U.S. junior champion. Trains with Hezly Rivera. Has committed to Utah. Born in Hawaii.
Hezly Rivera
- Age: 18
- Hometown: Plano, Texas
- Gym: Trains at WOGA
- Best event: Balance beam
What I’m looking for: How her left ankle is doing. As the U.S. champion the last two years, Rivera should be a contender for the all-around title at worlds. But she was very limited during podium training this week, only doing a dance-through of her floor exercise routine and not vaulting at all. She said afterward she was having some pain in her left ankle. "Day to day," she said. "It's in the back of my mind, but just taking it step by step and seeing how I feel." Rivera missed last year's world championships after rolling an ankle.
Fun facts: Was the youngest member of the entire U.S. Olympic team in Paris, turning 16 seven weeks before the opening ceremony. Trains with Claire Pease. Has committed to LSU. Likes to bake and has a killer recipe for banana chocolate chip muffins.
Dulcy Caylor (traveling alternate)
- Age: 18
- Hometown: Spring, Texas
- Gym: World Champions Centre
- Best event: Balance beam
What I’m looking for: Maturity. Being an alternate is tough. You do the same work and put in the same effort as everyone else, and it might be for nothing. But if you make the most of the experience — watching what the best gymnasts in the world do, getting familiar with the cadence of a big international event — it can help down the road.
Fun facts: Trains with Reese Esponda and trained with Simone Biles ahead of the Paris Olympics. Competed at last year’s world championships, where only individual events were contested, and made the all-around, floor exercise and balance beam finals. Committed to Florida, but is deferring until after LA28.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US women have an Olympic spot within reach. But there's little room for error
