As the 2026 Pan American Games kicked off on June 17, the US Women’s team and the Canadian Men’s team both secured first-class tickets to the 2026 World Championship.

Charleigh Bullock, Claire Pease and Simone Rose helped the U.S. Women's team defend their title, while the Canadian men’s squad of Jordan Carroll, Rene Cournoyer, Felix Dolci, William Emard and Xavier Olasz won their country's fourth senior men’s team title at the Pan American Championships.

The US Women’s Team posted a total score of 161.628, led by Bullock, who scored 54.165. Pease and Rose added 53.932 and 53.198, respectively. Olympic medalist Hezly Rivera and Team US member Alessia Rosa also contributed to the win.

The Canadian men’s team, on the other hand, scored 243.026 in total. 2-time Olympian, Cournoyer, ranked as the top all-arounder while the 2024 Olympian, Dolci, set the pace on the floor exercise, still rings and horizontal bar.

They had won the title previously in 2018, 2022, and 2024.

Both teams will travel to Rotterdam, Netherlands, in October for the World Championships. However, the Team US gold-winning run was extra special, given their injury setbacks.

Team USA's Injury-Marred Victory

Olympic gold medalist Hezly Rivera, who was leading the US women’s team, withdrew due to a sore hamstring after her vault performance. She could only perform a single twist instead of her usual Yurchenko double.

Even newcomer Lila Richardson couldn’t make her international debut. The young gymnast injured her face on the uneven bars during practice. But the team remained on focus and in sync as Bullock, Pease and Rose took the lead.

"The resilience, maturity, and teamwork they showed today speak volumes about their character," said 2008 Olympic silver medallist Chellsie Memmel, part of the U.S. women's team leadership group, on social media.

"Despite the challenges, they stayed composed and supported one another,” she added. “Success isn't always measured by scores and results… Sometimes, it's measured by how you respond when things don't go according to plan."

Their combined effort showed fruition as they navigated injury setbacks to reach the top spot.

But will they be able to show similar coordination and support to put up a perfect performance in Rotterdam in October? Let us know in the comments.

Follow Gymnastics Digest for more.

Written by

Deblina Roy

Edited by

Koushik Biswas