From EssentiallySports · Maleeha Shakeel · · 1m
Team USA Gymnastics Explains Skye Blakely's Beam Mistake
NCAA gymnast Skye Blakely's beam error cost U.S. gold in World Championships.
In brief
NCAA gymnast Skye Blakely's beam error cost U.S. gold in World Championships. U.S. gymnastics team lost gold to China after Skye Blakely's balance beam mistake. Originally reported by EssentiallySports.
U.S. loses world team title
The U.S. lost to China by 0.233 points in the women’s team final at the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
Skye Blakely's beam mistake
NCAA gymnast Skye Blakely failed to credit her planned switch-half connection on balance beam.
Chellsie Memmel explains
USA Gymnastics technical lead Chellsie Memmel said Blakely's error cost valuable difficulty points.
Blakely's alternative skill
Blakely knew she could perform an alternative skill but it was not obvious during the routine.
Team's overall performance
The U.S. scored 39.199 on beam, well behind China's 43.366, but led on other apparatuses.
Memmel's response
Memmel praised the team's ability to recover from mistakes and support each other under pressure.
Men's team struggles
U.S. men's gymnastics team finished sixth after inconsistent performance across all apparatuses.
Here's the gist
U.S. gymnastics team lost gold to China after Skye Blakely's balance beam mistake.
