Blakely places sixth on beam and leaves Rotterdam with four medals, as the U.S. tops the world championships medal table

Skye Blakely's week at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships ended Sunday without a fifth medal, but without a missed routine all week.

Blakely finished sixth in the balance beam final in Rotterdam with a 13.633, USA Gymnastics said. Algeria's Kaylia Nemour and China's Zhang Qingying both scored 14.566, with Nemour placed first, and Brazil's Flavia Saraiva took bronze with 14.300.

The beam final was Blakely's 14th routine of the championships, and she hit all of them, according to the federation, which lists her as from Frisco and competing for the University of Florida.

Four medals in Rotterdam

She heads home with four medals from this meet: gold in the all-around, silver with the U.S. women's team and bronze on vault and uneven bars. Added to the team golds she won in 2022 and 2023, that brings her career total at world championships to six.

USA Gymnastics said Blakely, at 21 years and 261 days, is now the oldest American woman to win a world medal on uneven bars. Her all-around title also keeps alive a streak the federation traces to 2003: a U.S. woman has medaled in the all-around at every world championships and Olympic Games since then, 24 straight competitions.

A strong week for the U.S.

The United States finished first in the medal count with eight, including three golds. Besides Blakely's all-around title, Frederick Richard won men's floor exercise, the first American man to take that event since Paul Hamm in 2003, and two U.S. teammates went first and second on women's floor in Sunday's last final.

USA Gymnastics said it was the first time the U.S. has won both floor titles at the same world championships.

Inside Gymnastics magazine called Blakely the leader of the U.S. women's team in Rotterdam. It was her fourth world championships and her first all-around final at the event.

Sources

usagym.org

insidegymnastics.com