An Ankle Injury Ends Rivera's Rotterdam Bid
Hezly Rivera will not compete at the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam. The 18-year-old withdrew on Saturday because of an injury to her left ankle, according to the Associated Press. She had been managing soreness in that ankle during training and described her condition to reporters on Thursday as day to day.[S1][S2]
Rivera brings a substantial record to the setback. She was the youngest member of the U.S. squad that won team gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics and has since claimed the last two U.S. national all-around titles. Her place on the five-woman world team will go to traveling alternate Dulcy Caylor.[S1][S2]
A Young American Team Opens Qualifying Sunday
The U.S. women are scheduled to begin qualifying on Sunday and are chasing an eighth consecutive world team title. The remaining roster mixes one Worlds veteran with four newcomers: Skye Blakely, Charleigh Bullock, Reese Esponda and Claire Pease. Blakely, the only member older than 20 and the only one with prior World Championships experience, is set to appear at her fourth straight Worlds and is expected to lead the group.[S1][S2]
Several teammates arrive with strong credentials. Pease posted a 56.700 all-around score while winning the recent World Team Selection Event and could contend for medals across most events. Esponda brings a 6.2 difficulty score on floor exercise and may be a gold-medal favorite there. Bullock, the youngest at 16, adds poise beyond her years.[S1]
The Wider Field and What Is at Stake
Rotterdam's Ahoy Arena hosts the 54th FIG Artistic World Championships, opening October 17 under the theme Building Bridges, which organizers say celebrates unity across people, generations and cultures. It is the third time the Dutch city has staged the event. This marks the first world team competition since the Paris Olympics, with three team qualifying berths for LA28 available to both men and women.[S1]
The entry list is deep. Kaylia Nemour of Algeria, the reigning Olympic and world champion on uneven bars, posted a 57.750 all-around at the Mediterranean Games in September, the top score of 2026 and of the current Olympic cycle. Japan's Daiki Hashimoto, a three-time world all-around champion, is chasing a fourth crown, while 2024 Olympic all-around winner Shinnosuke Oka and 2021 world all-around champion Zhang Boheng are also part of the picture, with Zhang listed as withdrawn.[S1]
Other headline names include China's Ke Qinqin, the Philippines' Carlos Yulo, Britain's Jake Jarman, Harry Hepworth, Joe Fraser, Alice Kinsella and Becky Downie, Brazil's Rebeca Andrade and Flavia Saraiva, Japan's Aiko Sugihara, Canada's Ellie Black in her tenth Worlds, and Dutch favorite Sanne Wevers in her eleventh. Angelina Melnikova, the 2021 world all-around champion who returned to take the title again in 2025, has reportedly been denied a visa.[S1]
