NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – AUGUST 10: Dulcy Caylor competes on the floor exercise at the Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships at Smoothie King Center on August 10, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Alicia Malnati/Getty Images)
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On Tuesday, 17-year-old Dulcy Caylor shocked the U.S. gymnastics field, winning the all-around competition on night one of the World Selection Team Event in Crossville, Tennessee. Caylor posted a huge 55.250 to beat the country’s No. 2 and No. 3 athletes: Leanne Wong and Joscelyn Roberson.
The Texas-born gymnast surged into an early lead after a strong start on vault – but few thought she would hold on to the lead through four rotations. At U.S. Nationals, Caylor finished eighth in the all-around and won the bronze medal on balance beam.
Today in Tennessee, Caylor went from off to atop the podium, finishing her day with tears of joy as her teammates applauded her win.
The University of Florida commit trains at the World Champions Centre, the famed gymnastics center that has produced stars like Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, and Joscelyn Roberson.
With her win, Caylor clinched the only automatic berth onto Team USA’s delegation for the upcoming World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Night One All-Around Results:
1. Dulcy Caylor: 55.250
2. Leanne Wong: 55.050
3. Joscelyn Roberson: 54.900
4. Ashlee Sullivan: 54.250
5. Jayla Hang: 54.100
6. Simone Rose: 51.900
Hezly Rivera, the current U.S. Champion and an initial favorite to win the event, withdrew last week due to an ankle injury. Her teammate, the U.S. Classic Champion Claire Pease, also withdrew due to an ankle injury a day later.
While the field was somewhat depleted, Caylor hardly put a foot wrong Tuesday evening, sticking her vault and hitting her best floor routine of the season.
Three Spots Remain
With Caylor named to the team, the remaining seven athletes will battle for the three remaining spots on the delegation headed to Jakarta. While tonight’s competition was an all-around event, day two will serve as an “apparatus competition,” with athletes competing on only select events to show their strengths.
Second and third place finishers and veterans Leanne Wong and Joscelyn Roberson are likely to make the team with strong performances on day two. However, a fellow veteran will need to be nearly faultless to secure her spot.
Two-time World team champion Skye Blakely has World medal potential on balance beam and uneven bars but struggled today in Tennessee. Blakely will have one more opportunity to prove to the selection committee that she can hit under pressure.
If she falters, underdogs Ashlee Sullivan and Jayla Hang could capitalize.
The second and final day of competition will begin on Wednesday, October 1, at 11:30 p.m. ET and will be streaming (for purchase) on FlipNow.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolineprice/2025/09/30/dulcy-caylor-shocks-us-gymnastics-field-to-win-world-team-selection-event/
