By Anna Rose Johnson and Patricia Duffy

The women’s team final was an exhilarating, exciting competition, featuring breathtaking execution and thrilling difficulty. Here are some of our favorite moments from the record-breaking final!

Feature Photo by Grace Chiu

10. A Victorious Podium!

With their noteworthy performances in Doha, the United States, Russia, and China have officially qualified full women’s teams to the 2020 Olympic Games!

“I think for all of us it’s just like a dream come true that we’ve been dreaming of this since we were little,” USA’s Riley McCusker said post-meet. “I think it’s just an amazing experience.”

9. Simone and the Cheng!

Opting not to compete her eponymous “Biles” vault, Simone performed her Cheng today, showcasing great height and distance! Beautiful. (But we know The Biles will be back soon!)

“There was no point in doing [The Biles] tonight, just to be safe–that comes first,” Biles said about her decision. “We all felt like we could put up some pretty good vault scores. So, it wasn’t needed. If it were needed, I feel like we would have done it differently, but it wasn’t needed.”

8. Brazil’s Brilliance

Under the guidance of Valeri Liukin, the Brazilian team rose to new heights today, challenging for a medal and hitting a trio of strong vaults.

7. On the Rise!

Japan finished in sixth place after a few mistakes–but they definitely had highlights, including Asuka Teramoto’s lovely floor routine and a solid beam set from Mai Murakami!

6. History Made!

Led by veteran Ellie Black, the Canadian team finished an amazing fourth today, less than a point behind bronze medal-winning China!

5. Aliya’s Uneven Bars

One of the major reasons why Russia won silver today, Aliya Mustafina’s impeccable bars routine was one of our favorite performances today:

“My team’s performance was quite successful,” Mustafina said via translator. “We did make some mistakes, but they’re not as important because they’re not as crucial. We’re going to keep on working to avoid them next time.”

4. Happy Birthday, Grace!

First-year senior Grace McCallum won her first World gold medal today–on her 16th birthday!

3. Bronze for China

Team China rallied in the last rotation to secure the bronze ahead of Canada. Check out this awesome vault from Liu Jinru!

2. Riley’s Redemption

After falling during the qualification round, USA’s Riley McCusker rebounded to deliver this gorgeous beam routine for a 13.733.

Riley added, “It meant a lot to me [to be chosen today] because I knew that my first day performance was not my best. I was definitely very nervous going in, and I feel like I got all those nerves out on that competition stage, and I was ready to come in today and kill it.”

1. Team USA’s Domination; Tokyo in View

The faces change but the result is always the same. The marvelous team broke the record for the largest margin of victory for the U.S.  women at Worlds!

“The pressure is kind of off,” team coordinator Tom Forster said of the team earning a berth to Tokyo 2020. “But it doesn’t change. It’s not like we’re going to go in and send in our scrubs. It’s a World Championships. World Championships are a big deal. It’s a big deal regardless.”

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