U.S. National team gymnast Ashlee Sullivan continued her blockbuster year with yet another individual win on Wednesday. Sullivan won the women’s division of the 42nd Memorial Arthur Gander tournament by over three points, a massive margin.
A relative unknown heading into 2025, Sullivan won the Winter Cup in February and went on to earn an alternate spot for the team that competed at the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships last month. This week, Sullivan recorded her first individual international win.
Held annually in Switzerland, the unconventional Memorial Arthur Gander competition permits female competitors to compete on three events of their choosing. Sullivan opted to compete on vault, uneven bars, and on the floor exercise.
Sullivan totaled a score of 41.400 across her three events, defeating newly minted world bronze medalist Abigail Martin (Great Britain) in second and European all-around silver medalist Alba Petisco (Spain) in third. Full results can be accessed here.
Sullivan Posts World-Class Scores
Sullivan tallied the highest scores on two of her three events (bars and floor exercise) and posted the second-best score on vault. On floor exercise, Sullivan notched a big 13.700 to edge the No. 2 and No. 3 gymnasts in the world, Great Britain’s Ruby Evans and Abigail Martin.
Evans and Martin claimed silver and bronze on the event at the world championships just a few weeks ago. The British teammates showcased a lower level of difficulty this week in Switzerland, ultimately falling to Sullivan’s intricate exercise.
Sullivan’s impressive scores point to her potential on the international stage, particularly when juxtaposed with the recent world championships.
In Jakarta, the U.S. women put forward their weakest showing at a world championship in two decades, winning just two medals—a silver in the all-around (Leanne Wong) and a bronze on vault (Joscelyn Roberson).
Though scoring varies across competitions, if Sullivan’s floor score had held up in Jakarta, it would have been the highest floor score earned by a U.S. woman. In Jakarta’s floor final, a score of 13.700 would have earned the silver medal.
With a measured balance of artistry and raw power, Ashlee Sullivan has quickly become a fan favorite among followers of the U.S. Women’s National team. This week, the future UCLA Bruin proved she can compete with (and defeat) the world’s best.