US women's gymnastics clinches gold at world championships
U.S. gymnastics fans can now officially book their trips to the Paris Olympics.
The U.S. women's gymnastics team won gold at the 2022 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Tuesday in Liverpool, England, securing their ticket to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. It is the national team's sixth consecutive win since 2011.
The five-person team of Skye Blakely, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, Shilese Jones and Leanne Wong came out on top with a total score of 166.564, followed by the teams from Great Britain and Canada.
Chiles led the team on the balance beam with a leading score of 13.333. Following the team's win, Chiles shared a series of photos on Instagram alongside a heartfelt message.
"Wow!! Where do I even start!! I'm am beyond proud of everyone that showed out today!! I'm on cloud 9 right now. Thank you to everyone for the love and support❤️ This girl is a World Champion," the UCLA sophomore wrote.
Carey also shared the team win on her Instagram, writing, "𝙒𝙊𝙍𝙇𝘿 𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙈𝙋𝙎 🥇 I am truly blessed and honored to be apart of Team USA and all the things we have accomplished. We've worked so hard for this historic moment and I am so proud of everyone on this team."
Carey led the team on the vault and floor exercise, with scores of 14.800 and 14.100, respectively.
Jones, who scored the highest on uneven bars with a 14.333, dedicated the team's victory to her father in her celebratory Instagram post.
"Woke up as a world champion. Words couldn't explain how truly blessed i am to be apart of this historic winning team. Dreams do come true. Thanks for all your love and support! Forever a world champion. -for you dad," Jones wrote, adding a red heart emoji.
Blakely, who is the youngest on the team at 17 years old, described winning the world championships as an "experience of a lifetime" on Instagram.
Chiles is the only holdover from the team that won silver at the Tokyo Olympics. Carey competed individually, but was not a part of the team event. And while the U.S. has captured a spot in the 2024 Olympics, the team members won't be decided until just before the games.
Carey and Jones will compete again on Thursday for a chance to be named the women's individual all-around champion.
The U.S. men's gymnastics team, which is currently third after qualifications, is set to compete in their team competition Wednesday.
