On night one of the 2025 U.S. Gymnastics Championships in New Orleans, Louisiana, Olympic veterans stole the show. Olympic gold medalist Hezly Rivera maintains a slight lead over Joscelyn Roberson and Leanne Wong after Friday’s competition, positioning an all-out battle for gold on Sunday.
The senior women will return to the floor at 7:45 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 10, for the second and final day of competition.
Here’s how the action unfolded on night one in New Orleans.
Rotation 1:
Hezly Rivera was the highlight in rotation one. Rivera put her U.S. Classic falls behind her, but it wasn’t an easy task: she started on the balance beam. After falling off the apparatus just a few weeks back in Chicago, Rivera cruised through her routine to post a 14.350, the highest beam score by an American woman in 2025.
With the score, Rivera surged to an early and sizable lead. Olympic alternate Leanne Wong also impressed on beam, sticking her dismount and hitting her connections for a season-high score and an impressive 8.350 execution score. Joscelyn Roberson, another Olympic alternate, started strong on vault with a 13.800.
While Wong and Rivera hit beam, two title-favorites struggled. Jayla Hang, the 2025 Pan American All-Around Champion, nearly fell on her first tumbling pass and seemingly recovered until falling on her final pass.
On bars, 2025 Winter Cup Champion Ashlee Sullivan looked to start her meet on a strong note. Unfortunately, the UCLA commit peeled off the bars on her release move, earning just a 12.050.
U.S. Classic All-Around Champion Claire Pease, Rivera’s practice partner, hit her elegant beam routine for a 13.900, good for second going into the second rotation.
Skye Blakely made her return to elite gymnastics in rotation one, hitting her beam routine after returning from an Achilles injury incurred at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. Though Blakely grabbed the beam for an automatic .500 deduction, she still posted a formidable 13.450.
With her score, Blakely would have finished in second at the U.S. Classic. Not a bad return to the bright lights of elite competition.
After One: 1. Hezly Rivera: 14.350, 2. Claire Pease: 13.900, 3. Gabrielle Hardie and Joscelyn Roberson: 13.800, 5. Leanne Wong: 13.750
Rotation Two:
Rotation two saw more of the same for Rivera and Wong. Rivera continued her stellar start in rotation two, hitting her challenging floor routine for another score over 14.00 – the gold standard in women’s elite gymnastics.
Wong went next, nailing her opening tumbling pass for a near-perfect 8.500 execution score and a 13.800. After a rough start on floor, Hang roared back with a clean and powerful vault, good for a big 14.050.
Claire Pease was one of the top floor scorers in Chicago, but the same would not happen today in New Orleans. Pease came up very short on her opening tumbling pass, taking a huge hit to her event score.
Over on bars, Joscelyn Roberson went two for two on the night, hitting one of the best bar routines of her career. Roberson stuck her full-twisting double layout dismount without a flicker and to an immediate smile.
While the frontrunners battled it out, Dulcy Caylor quietly delivered a huge hit on beam, posting a massive 13.850, and Simone Rose continued a strong day on vault.
Olympic alternate Tiana Sumanasekera delivered another strong beam routine on her signature event, hitting her triple series for a 13.800.
After Two: 1. Hezly Rivera: 28.350, 2. Leanne Wong: 27.550, 3. Dulcy Caylor and Joscelyn Roberson: 27.450, 5. Gabrielle Hardie and Simone Rose: 27.000
Rotation Three:
Rivera’s career day continued in rotation three. The 17-year-old competed on vault – typically her weakest event and her most significant test of the night. Like she had before, Rivera passed with flying colors.
The Olympic medalist had her best landing of the year, good for a strong 13.800 to maintain a substantial lead over the field. Wong went up next, and so came another hit. Showing the most power she’s shown all year, Wong hit a huge Yurchenko double and completed a strong second vault to stay in contention for the vault event title.
With their two hits, the two Olympic teammates maintained their stronghold over the competitive field – but Roberson was not far off.
Known for her powerful beam work, Roberson impressed once again on the event on night one. The NCAA all-American on beam powered through a huge standing full twist and triple acrobatic series for a 13.800, pushing her into third place overall.
After a rough start on bars, Winter Cup Champion Ashlee Sullivan returned to her typical dynamic gymnastics, hitting a huge floor routine for a 14.000. With that much-needed score, Sullivan rocketed back into contention.
While Sullivan hit, Tiana Sumanasekera had a fluke fall on the same event, missing her timing on her third pass and falling backwards. Sumanasekera’s exercise marked her first floor routine since sustaining an ankle injury earlier this year.
After Three: 1. Hezly Rivera: 42.150 2. Leanne Wong: 41.550 3. Joscelyn Roberson: 41.250 4. Simone Rose: 40.350 5. Izzy Stassi: 40.150
Rotation Four:
Heading into the final rotation, the field’s veterans began to rise to the top, with three Olympic teammates leading the way. Rivera and Wong would finish on bars, while Roberson would complete her night on the floor.
In veteran fashion, Leanne capped her night with another hit on uneven bars. Wong flew through her release and double layout to close a fantastic start to her 2025 Championship. With a 13.500, Wong’s total came to 55.100, a huge score – the second highest by a U.S. woman in 2025. But would it hold?
Ashlee Sullivan finished her day with another strong score, a huge 14.000. U.S. Classic Champion Claire Pease continued her struggles on day one, posting just a 12.350 on bars, typically one of her strongest events.
Needing a stronger floor score than she posted at the U.S. Classic, Roberson took to the floor with huge tumbling ahead of her. Though she stepped out of bounds on her second pass, Roberson nailed her upgraded passes, including her mount, one of the highest difficulty skills in women’s gymnastics.
With her final stuck pass and a 14.150, Roberson capped a stellar starting day at the U.S. Championships. Just like that, Roberson leapfrogged Wong for the lead. Her 55.400U score now stood as the second highest of the year – but Rivera was still to go.
Needing a 13.250, Rivera just needed to stay on the bars. Weeks ago at the U.S. Classic, that was a tall order. But tonight, she fought hard. Rivera pushed through her routine, adapting to slight errors and fighting for the landing on the dismount.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was a hit. With a 13.450, Rivera slid just past Roberson for the lead. Just a five-tenths difference separates the three Olympians heading into day two.
After Four:
1. Hezly Rivera: 55.600
2. Joscelyn Roberson: 55.400
3. Leanne Wong: 55.100
4. Dulcy Caylor: 53.800
5. Gabrielle Hardie: 53.750