U.S. women claim three of four possible titles at Paris World Challenge Cup

If there was every any doubt that the U.S. women would continue to thrive on the global stage in artistic gymnastics, they put them to rest Sunday (25 September) as they flipped, twisted and soared to three of the four available gold medals at the Paris World Challenge Cup.

The men's competition saw athletes from four nations grab the titles inside the Accor Arena, which will play host to the gymnastics competitions in less than two years at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

U.S. women win three of four finals, six medals overall

With the women who have won the last two Olympic all-around titles, Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee, not currently competing at the elite level, Team USA's Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles and Shilese Jones stepped up to the plate and did not disappoint. 

Carey, the Olympic floor exercise champion, won the vault gold medal to open the day, performing a Cheng and a double-twisting laidout Yurchenko for a 14.375 average score. Teammate Chiles, a member of the Tokyo 2020 silver medal team, was second, scoring 14.025, while France's Coline Devillard took the bronze at 13.850.

The uneven bars was a close affair with 2022 U.S. all-around silver medallist Jones narrowly getting the gold medal over world and Olympic vault champion Rebeca Andrade of Brazil. Jones' routine included a stalder full pirouette, stalder Shaposhnikova, Tkatchev opening sequence. She scored 14.700, just enough to take the title over Andrade's 14.650. Belgium's Lisa Vaelen scored 14.100 for third.

Carey was the first to go in the beam final, earning a 13.750 for her routine that included a back handspring, layout, layout series and a double pike dismount. That score held until France's Marine Boyer went, as the final's penultimate competitor.

Boyer matched Carey's score, a 13.750, with a round off, two foot layout series and a double pike dismount of her own, and won the tie-break to take the gold medal. Canadian Ellie Black scored 13.700 for third.

The U.S. women wrapped up their stellar day with its second 1-2 finish of the competition in the floor exercise final with Chiles taking gold at 14.050. Her routine, set to music by Lizzo, included an upgraded second tumbling pass: a full-twisting double layout. Jones was second with a 13.500. Tokyo 2020 team bronze medallist Jennifer Gadirova of Great Britain scored a 13.250 to win bronze.

Ireland, Turkey, Brazil and U.S. win men's titles

Eamon Montgomery of Ireland was a surprise winner in the men's floor final, which included the reigning Olympic champion Artem Dolgopyat of Israel. Montgomery scored a 14.250 for gold, just ahead of Chinese Taipei's Tang Chia-Hung's 14.200. Bronze went to France's Benjamin Osberger, who also scored a 14.200 but lost the tie break.

Dolgopyat finished eighth in the final after falling a front double pike.

Ireland captured another men's gold medal in the pommel horse final on the strength of Rhys McClenaghan's 15.100 score. Kazakhstan's Nariman Kurbanov and Chinese Taipei's Shiao Yu-Jan took silver and bronze, respectively.

On the still rings, Turkey's Adem Asil dismounted with a tucked double-double and posted a 14.800 to take the gold. Austria's Vinzenz Hoeck scored 14.700 to win the silver, and American Donnell Whittenburg's 14.600 gave him bronze.

Asil was golden again in the men's vault final where he executed a massive front handspring double pike half out and a Tsukahara double pike to average 14.725. Brazil's Caio Souza (14.575) and Dolgopyat (14.325) rounded out the podium.

Shortly thereafter, Souza took a step up the podium in the parallel bars final, scoring a 14.700 for the gold medal. Americans Brody Malone and Whittenburg scored 14.600 and 14.200, respectively, to finish second and third.

In the last final of the day on the high bar, Malone soared on two double flipping catch-and-release moves to claim the gold with a 14.650, holding off Cyprus' Ilias Georgiou (14.400). Tokyo 2020 Olympic high bar silver medallist Tin Srbic of Croatia scored 14.050 for bronze.