The key facts

  • 17-year-old Claire Pease won the floor exercise with 13.866 points, Reese Esponda was second (13.566)
  • The United States topped the medal table: 8 medals, 3 golds, while China had 7 medals, 3 golds
  • Zou Jingyuan won his fifth world title on the parallel bars, Kaylia Nemour took her second gold in two days

American gymnasts swept the podium in the floor exercise

On Sunday, on the final day of the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, Americans Claire Pease and Reese Esponda, both 17 years old, took first and second place in the floor exercise thanks to high difficulty scores for their routines, AFP reports. Pease scored 13.866 points, Esponda 13.566. Third place, just 0.010 points behind, went to 16-year-old Frenchwoman Mayana Prat, who edged out Britain's Abigail Martin on a tiebreaker — the oldest of the four at 18. Prat had the lowest difficulty, but a higher execution score than Martin earned her the bronze.

The United States overtook China in the medal table

The two American medals in the floor exercise allowed the United States, with eight medals, three of them gold, to overtake China in the medal standings. China finished the tournament with seven medals, including three golds, the last of which was won on Sunday by Zou Jingyuan, who once again dominated the men's parallel bars. The 28-year-old gymnast scored 15.733 points and claimed his fifth world title on this apparatus. Second was Illia Kovtun, who left his native Ukraine after the Russian invasion and competes for Croatia, with 14.900, just ahead of Russian Daniil Marinov, representing World Gymnastics, with 14.866.

Biles, Nemour and the winners of the final day

The American women shone in Rotterdam, led by Skye Blakely, who won gold in the all-around as well as bronze on the uneven bars and in the vault. According to AFP, the Texan became the 'inspiring story' of the week in the Netherlands: she was forced to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021 and the 2024 Paris Games due to injuries. On the balance beam, Algeria's Kaylia Nemour took her second gold in two days, edging out China's Zhang Qingying on a tiebreaker — both scored 14.566 points; third was Brazil's Flavia Saraiva. The 19-year-old Nemour, who had finished fourth in Friday's all-around after errors on the vault and uneven bars, said to applause that she was happy, 'even if it doesn't make up for the all-around.' The day was opened by 34-year-old Armenian Artur Davtyan, who won the vault with 14.850 points — ahead of Britain's Jake Jarman (14.650) and Norway's Sebastian Sponevik. The two-time Olympic medalist (bronze at Tokyo 2020, silver at Paris 2024) from Yerevan claimed his second world vault title after his victory in Liverpool in 2022. The tournament was closed by 30-year-old Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-Hung, who became a world champion on the horizontal bar for the first time, overtaking Japan's Shinnosuke Oka and Russia's Sergei Naidin; he won bronze on this apparatus at the Paris Olympics.

Why it matters

The outcome of the final day decided the winner of first place in the medal table: two medals in the floor exercise gave the United States an edge over China in total medals with an equal number of golds — three for each team. For readers, this is a benchmark of the balance of power in women's and men's gymnastics for the upcoming Olympic cycle: a new generation of 17-year-old American gymnasts is making its mark, while Nemour and Davtyan confirmed their status as leaders in their events. In practical terms, the tournament results shape seeding and athletes' reputations ahead of upcoming competitions.