Skye Blakely is the world’s top gymnast. The 21-year-old American scored 55.733 to win the women’s all-around at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam on Friday — her first individual world title, capping an extraordinary comeback from two Olympic dream-shattering injuries.
Skye Blakely captures all-around gold at gymnastics worlds in Rotterdam (Credits: NBC Sports)
Blakely prevailed by .534 over Russia’s Liudmila Roshchina (55.199), with 16-year-old Ke Qinqin of China taking bronze on 55.032. Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour, the top qualifier, ended a heartbreaking fourth after a poor opening vault left her 0.034 short of bronze.
The University of Florida junior kept telling herself during the final: “Do it for the girl in 2021, and the girl in 2024.” A torn elbow ligament at the 2021 Olympic Trials, then a ruptured right Achilles two days before the 2024 Trials — when she had been runner-up to Simone Biles at the U.S. Championships — denied her the Olympics twice. Two major surgeries later, she wept after sticking her floor routine and draped a U.S. flag over her shoulders as the standings were confirmed.
Blakely’s 55.733 seals world all-around gold
Blakely qualified second and moved ahead on bars and beam, her 14.200 on beam building a cushion of more than a point before the last rotation. She is now the first American to win the world all-around title since Simone Biles in 2023, and an American gymnast has reached the podium at every Olympics and worlds since 2003. Fellow American Claire Pease placed seventh after a fall on beam.
“There’s more to clean up from today and there’s more difficulty to show,” Blakely said afterward, already looking ahead to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. She is also the only member of the 2026 U.S. world team competing in NCAA gymnastics this season, a junior at Florida.
What’s next at gymnastics worlds
The championships continue through Sunday, October 25, with the vault and uneven bars finals on Saturday and the beam and floor finals on Sunday. Blakely, already a team gold medalist at the 2022 and 2023 worlds, will now chase individual apparatus titles in Rotterdam.
Source: ESPN — read the full story there.
