China captured its first women's team gold at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in 20 years, edging the United States by just 0.233 points after a last-minute lineup change and 12 clean routines.
ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- With only half an hour remaining before the women's team final at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, China was forced to make a crucial change to its lineup.
Suffering from a foot injury, Zhang Yihan had to withdraw from all her routines. World champion Zhang Qingying stepped in at the last minute, putting the team's contingency planning to the test before the first Chinese gymnast had even taken to the floor on Wednesday.
With all 12 routines completed cleanly across four apparatus, China claimed its first women's team gold in 20 years at the World Championships with 165.764 points, edging the United States by 0.233 and ending the Americans' run of seven consecutive titles. Both teams and bronze medalist Japan qualified for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
"We have no chance to make any mistake. So everyone must fight for every 0.1 point," said Chang Cheng, head of the Chinese delegation.
Zhang Yihan had originally been scheduled to perform a vault with a difficulty score of 5.2, as she did in qualification. Following the last-minute substitution, China opted for two vaults each rated at 5.0 and one at 4.4, seeking to maximize its score with the revised lineup.
"I just made a quick warm-up. Once the event got underway and everyone started jumping, I didn't even have time to feel nervous," Zhang Qingying said, describing how she stepped up at the last minute.
She scored 13.233 on vault and went on to compete on the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise, becoming the only Chinese gymnast that evening to compete on all four apparatus.
In the team final, three gymnasts compete on each apparatus and all three scores count toward the total. Unlike in qualification, there is no room to discard the lowest score. From domestic training through their arrival in Rotterdam, the team had prepared for scenarios in which the final routine by the final gymnast could determine the overall result.
In the third rotation on balance beam, China scored a combined 43.366 points, taking a 2.200-point lead over the United States into the final rotation. However, the last apparatus, floor exercise, was a strong event for the American team.
In the end, China held on to win by 0.233 points.
"We nailed all 12 routines," said Chang. "That's what matters."
From the Asian Championships to the Asian Games and then the World Championships, China's women's team has retained the same lineup.
With five regulars and one reserve, Du Siyu, Ke Qinqin, Zhang Qingying, Qiu Qiyuan, Zhang Yihan and Qin Xinyi, the team has claimed three consecutive team titles.
Chang likened the three competitions to "a small exam, a midterm, and a final," noting that the team "performed better with each successive event".
Captain Qiu said that with the same lineup competing together for the third time this year, the gymnasts had developed a clear understanding of how to arrange their routines.
"Go out there and execute your movements with confidence - just deliver a clean, polished routine, and that'll be enough."
A broader shift in training has also strengthened the team's overall performance. For years, the Chinese women's team has been particularly competitive on uneven bars and balance beam, while vault and floor exercise have often been its weaker apparatus.
Entering the Los Angeles Olympic cycle, the team has devoted greater attention to improving those weaker events.
Chang described the gymnastics team event as a "systematic battle".
That battle is still going on. ■
