U.S. women earn record sixth straight world gymnastics title

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — The U.S. women’s gymnastics team won its record sixth straight world gymnastics team title on Tuesday, taking the lead in the first rotation to win going away.

The American team of Shilese Jones, Jade Carey, Leanne Wong, Jordan Chiles and Skye Blakely posted an all-around score of 166.564, more than three points clear of host Britain in second at 163.363.

Canada finished in the top three for the first time at the world championships, with 27-year-old Ellie Black’s rock-solid beam routine in the final rotation helping the Canadians surge to a team total of 160.563, nearly a full point better than Brazil.

The U.S., Britain and Canada automatically qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Russia, the reigning Olympic champion, is currently banned from competing at FIG and European Gymnastics federation-hosted events due to the war in Ukraine.

A year after finishing second to the Russians at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, the U.S. returned to the top spot by relying on the experience of Chiles and Carey — both of whom won medals in Japan — and the steely resolve of Jones.

Save for a fall by Blakely on beam, the U.S. avoided major mistakes, taking the lead on vault in its first rotation and never letting Britain get within real striking distance.

The Americans finished with the top scores in the three-up/three-count finals in three of the four disciplines (vault, uneven bars and floor exercise). Chiles rebounded from a shaky performance on balance beam in qualifying that cost her a spot in the all-around finals by drilling her set in the team finals, emphatically pumping her fist at the end of a routine that essentially sealed the gold for the U.S., a spot it has occupied at six straight world championships team finals dating to 2011.

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