Skye Blakely wins world all-around title in Rotterdam

Skye Blakely won the women’s all-around title at the 2026 World Championships in Rotterdam on Friday, scoring 55.733 to claim her first individual world gold medal. The American finished ahead of Liudmila Roshchina, who scored 55.199 for silver, and Ke Qinqin, who took bronze with 55.032. Blakely posted scores of 14.200 on vault, 14.400 on uneven bars and 14.200 on balance beam before finishing with 12.933 on floor exercise. Her beam score extended her lead to more than a point heading into the final rotation, leaving her needing a steady floor routine to secure the title. The victory followed a series of injuries that interrupted Blakely’s Olympic ambitions. She ruptured her right Achilles tendon during floor training two days before the 2024 U.S. Olympic trials and underwent surgery. She had also torn an elbow ligament while warming up for the Tokyo Olympic trials, according to reports on her career. After the result, Blakely said the title meant the world to her, citing two major surgeries and the hardships and setbacks she had experienced. Her win made her the first American woman to claim the world all-around crown since Simone Biles in 2023, according to competition...