| Founded | 1982 |
|---|---|
| Continental union | PAGU |
| National federation | USA Gymnastics |
| Head coach | Dan Baker Chellsie Memmel Alicia Sacramone-Quinn |
| Training location | The Gymnastics Company |
| Uniform supplier | GK Elite |
| Olympic Games | |
| Appearances | 19 |
| Medals |  Gold: 1996, 2012, 2016  Silver: 1984, 2004, 2008, 2020  Bronze: 1948, 1992, 2000 |
| World Championships | |
| Appearances | 26 |
| Medals |  Gold: 2003, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023 Silver: 1991, 1994, 2006, 2010  Bronze: 1995, 2001 |
| Junior World Championships | |
| Appearances | 2 |
| Medals | Silver: 2023 Bronze: 2019 |
| Pan American Games | |
| Medals |  Gold: 1963, 1967, 1971, 1975, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1995, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023  Silver: 1999 |
The United States women's national artistic gymnastics team represents the United States in FIG international competitions.
As of 2023, the U.S. team is the reigning World team champion and the reigning Olympic team silver medalists, with the four gymnasts nicknamed the "Fighting Four".[1]
History
The U.S. women won the team competition bronze medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics. Afterwards, they did not win another Summer Olympics or World Championships medal until the 1984 when the Olympic team won silver. During that competition, Mary Lou Retton also became the first American to win the individual all-around gold medal. The Americans started consistently winning Olympic and World team medals in the early 1990s with future Hall of Famers Shannon Miller and Dominique Dawes. The 1996 Olympic team, known as the Magnificent Seven, was the first American team to win Olympic gold. An iconic moment in the sport's history came late in the competition, when an injured Kerri Strug stuck a vault to secure the title. After 1996, the team regressed for several years as their stars took breaks from competing.
Márta Károlyi headed the program after the 2000 Olympics, ushering in an era of success for the U.S. team as they became one of the most dominant countries in women's gymnastics. The U.S. team has medalled in every Olympics and Worlds since 2000. They won their first World gold medal in 2003. At the 2004 Olympics, they won the team silver, and Carly Patterson became the second American gymnast to win the individual all-around. The U.S. team continued their success in the next quad. They won another Olympic silver medal in 2008. Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson were two of the best gymnasts of their era and finished first and second in the 2008 individual all-around.
Since their second-place finish at the 2010 Worlds, the U.S. team has never lost an Olympic or World team competition. They won gold at the 2011 Worlds and then won gold at the 2012 Olympics by over five points. The 2012 team was nicknamed the Fierce Five and included Gabby Douglas, the first woman of color to win the Olympic individual all-around. In 2013, Simone Biles started her senior career and helped the U.S. team dominate the sport through 2016. In addition to the team gold medals, Biles won the individual all-around at the Worlds and Olympics for four straight years. The 2016 Olympic team, featuring Biles and veterans Douglas and Aly Raisman, was named the Final Five. They won the team competition by more than eight points.
Olympic Games
The USA Gymnastics women have won the Olympic Gold three times, in 1996, 2012, and 2016. These successes led to the nicknames Magnificent Seven, Fierce Five, and Final Five, respectively. They won four silvers in 1984, 2004, 2008, and 2020[2] and three bronzes in 1948, 1992 and 2000.[3] The 2016 team name alluded to Márta Károlyi's final team to coach and that the team structure will be changed to four members beginning with the 2020 Olympic Games. The 1988 Olympic Games was the only year in which the team did not medal since its formation in 1982; they missed the bronze medal by one deduction. Six American women have won the Olympic individual all-around title, including five consecutive titles from 2004–20: Mary Lou Retton (1984), Carly Patterson (2004), Nastia Liukin (2008), Gabby Douglas (2012), Simone Biles (2016), and Sunisa Lee (2020). The most decorated American gymnasts at the Olympics, with seven medals apiece, are Shannon Miller (2 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze) and Simone Biles (4 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze).
World Championships
The United States women team is currently third in the all-time medal count for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. The first American gymnast to win a medal at the World Championships was Cathy Rigby who won silver on beam in 1970.[4] The first female American gymnast to win a world title was Marcia Frederick in 1978 on the uneven bars.[5] The most decorated American gymnast at the World Championships is Simone Biles, who won 25 medals (19 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze) from 2013 to 2019.[6] The United States won team gold in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019.[7] Additionally, eight American women have won the individual World all-around title: Kim Zmeskal (1991), Shannon Miller (1993-1994), Chellsie Memmel (2005), Shawn Johnson (2007), Bridget Sloan (2009), Jordyn Wieber (2011), Simone Biles (2013-2015, 2018-2019), and Morgan Hurd (2017). Biles is the only American gymnast to win both the Olympic and World all-around titles.
Current roster
As of August 28, 2023:
Senior team
Junior team
| Name | Birth date and age | Current residence | Club | Head coach(es) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reese Esponda | October 28, 2008 | Missoula, Montana | Roots Gymnastics | Chris Bushard Brandon Bushard |
| Kieryn Finnell | April 9, 2008 | Rochester, New York | RGA | Barry and Youlia Coss |
| Gabby Hardie | November 19, 2009 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | Twin City Twisters | Sarah Jantzi |
| Hezly Rivera | June 4, 2008 | Plano, Texas | WOGA | Valeri Liukin |
| Simone Rose | July 9, 2008 | Sammamish, Washington | Pacific Reign | |
| Izzy Stassi | September 21, 2008 | Delaware, Ohio | Buckeye Gymnastics | Kittia Carpenter |
Staff
- Dan Baker – Developmental Lead
- Chellsie Memmel – Technical Lead
- Alicia Sacramone-Quinn – Strategic Lead[8]
- Annie Heffernon[9] – Senior Vice President
- Krissy Klein[10] – Women's Program Manager
- Kim Riley[10] – Managing Director of Athlete and Coaching Programs
Team competition results
Olympic Games
- 1928 — did not participate
- 1936 — 5th place
- Jennie Caputo, Consetta Caruccio-Lenz, Margaret Duff, Irma Haubold, Marie Kibler, Ada Lunardonl, Adelaide Meyer, Mary Wright
- 1948 — bronze medal
- 1952 — 15th place
- Marian Barone, Dorothy Dalton, Meta Elste-Neumann, Ruth Grulkowski, Marie Hoesly, Doris Kirkman, Clara Schroth, Ruth Topalian
- 1956 — 9th place
- Muriel Davis, Doris Fuchs, Judy Howe, Jackie Klein, Joyce Racek, Sandra Ruddick
- 1960 — 9th place
- Muriel Davis, Doris Fuchs, Betty-Jean Maycock, Teresa Montefusco, Sharon Richardson, Gail Sontegrath
- 1964 — 9th place
- Kathleen Corrigan, Muriel Davis, Dale McClements, Linda Metheny, Janie Speaks, Marie Walther
- 1968 — 6th place
- Wendy Cluff, Kathy Gleason, Linda Metheny, Colleen Mulvihill, Cathy Rigby, Joyce Tanac
- 1972 — 4th place
- Kimberly Chace, Linda Metheny, Joan Moore, Roxanne Pierce, Cathy Rigby, Nancy Thies
- 1976 — 6th place
- Colleen Casey, Kimberly Chace, Carrie Englert, Kathy Howard, Debra Wilcox, Leslie Wolfsberger
- 1980 — did not participate
- 1984 — silver medal
- 1988 — 4th place
- 1992 — bronze medal
- 1996 — gold medal
- 2000 — bronze medal
- 2004 — silver medal
- 2008 — silver medal
- 2012 — gold medal
- 2016 — gold medal
- 2020 — silver medal
World Championships
Names in italics are alternates who received a team medal.
- 1934 — did not participate
- 1938 — did not participate
- 1950 — did not participate
- 1954 — did not participate
- 1958 — did not participate
- 1962 — 8th place
- Muriel Davis, Doris Fuchs, Betty-Jean Maycock, Gail Sontegrath, Avis Tieber, Marie Walther
- 1966 — 6th place
- Debbie Bailey, Doris Fuchs, Dale McClements, Kathy Gleason, Carolyn Hacker, Joyce Tanac
- 1970 — 7th place
- Cleo Carver, Kimberly Chace, Wendy Cluff, Adele Gleaves, Joan Moore, Cathy Rigby
- 1974 — 6th place
- Janette Anderson, Ann Carr, Diane Dunbar, Debbie Fike, Kathy Howard, Joan Moore
- 1978 — 5th place
- Christa Canary, Marcia Frederick, Kathy Johnson, Leslie Pyfer, Rhonda Schwandt, Donna Turnbow
- 1979 — 6th place
- Christa Canary, Marcia Frederick, Kathy Johnson, Suzy Kellams, Leslie Pyfer, Leslie Russo
- 1981 — 6th place
- Michelle Goodwin, Kathy Johnson, Amy Koopman, Julianne McNamara, Gina Stallone, Tracee Talavera
- 1983 — 7th place
- Pam Bileck, Kelly Garrison, Kathy Johnson, Julianne McNamara, Yumi Mordre, Tanya Service
- 1985 — 6th place
- Pam Bileck, Tracey Calore, Kelly Garrison, Sabrina Mar, Marie Roethlisberger, Jennifer Sey
- 1987 — 6th place
- Rhonda Faehn, Kelly Garrison, Sabrina Mar, Melissa Marlowe, Phoebe Mills, Kristie Phillips
- 1989 — 4th place
- Wendy Bruce, Christy Henrich, Brandy Johnson, Kim Kelly, Chelle Stack, Sandy Woolsey
- 1991 — silver medal
- 1994 — silver medal
- Amanda Borden, Amy Chow, Dominique Dawes, Larissa Fontaine, Shannon Miller, Jaycie Phelps, Kerri Strug
- 1995 — bronze medal
- Mary Beth Arnold, Theresa Kulikowski, Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Jaycie Phelps, Kerri Strug, Doni Thompson
- 1997 — 6th place
- Kendall Beck, Mohini Bhardwaj, Kristen Maloney, Dominique Moceanu, Kristy Powell, Jennie Thompson
- 1999 — 5th place
- Jeanette Antolin, Vanessa Atler, Jamie Dantzscher, Kristen Maloney, Elise Ray, Morgan White
- 2001 — bronze medal
- 2003 — gold medal
- 2006 — silver medal
- 2007 — gold medal
- 2010 — silver medal
- 2011 — gold medal
- 2014 — gold medal
- 2015 — gold medal
- 2018 — gold medal
- 2019 — gold medal
- 2022 — gold medal
- 2023 — gold medal
Junior World Championships
Names in italics are alternates who received a team medal.
- 2019 — bronze medal
- 2023 – silver medal
- Jayla Hang, Hezly Rivera, Izzy Stassi, Kieryn Finnell
Most decorated gymnasts
This list includes all American female artistic gymnasts who have won at least four medals at the Olympic Games and the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships combined.
Best international results
| Event | TF | AA | VT | UB | BB | FX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games |  | | | | | |
| World Championships | | | | | | |
| Pan American Games | | | | | | |
| Pan American Championships | | | | | | |
| Junior World Championships |  | 4 | | 4 |  | |
| Junior Pan American Games | | | | | | |
| Junior Pan American Championships | | | | | | |
Hall of Famers
Nine national team gymnasts, one national team coach, and one official have been inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame:
- Béla Károlyi (coach) – 1997
- Mary Lou Retton – 1997
- Cathy Rigby – 1997
- Shannon Miller – 2006
- Dominique Dawes – 2009
- Kim Zmeskal – 2012
- Jackie Fie (FIG official) – 2014
- Alicia Sacramone – 2017
- Nastia Liukin – 2018
- Shawn Johnson – 2019
- Chellsie Memmel – 2022
See also
- Artistic gymnastics in the United States
- United States men's national artistic gymnastics team
- List of former United States women's national gymnastics team rosters
- List of U.S. National Championships medalists in gymnastics
- List of Olympic female artistic gymnasts for the United States
- United States at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
References
- ↑ Elaine Lies; Gabrielle Tétrault-farber (28 July 2021). "OLYMPICS Gymnastics-'The Fighting Four' step up to win for Biles". Reuters. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ↑ "ROC wins women's team gold medal, ending Team USA's decade long reign". International Olympic Committee. July 27, 2021. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ↑ "United States Gymnastics Women's Team All-Around Results". sports-reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ↑ Van Deusen, Amy. "US Medalists at Worlds (Men's and Women's)". About Gymnastics. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
- ↑ Riley, Lori (15 August 2010). "Frederick Changed Gymnastics, But Boycott Ended Olympic Dream". Hartfort Courant. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
- ↑ "Stone gold: Biles wraps up worlds with four wins". ESPN.com. November 3, 2018.
- ↑ "USA Gymnastics | U.S. Medalists at World Artistic Gymnastics Championships". usagym.org.
- ↑ "Chellsie Memmel, Alicia Sacramone, Dan Baker to lead U.S. women's gymnastics program". Olympic Channel. May 26, 2022.
- ↑ "[Annie] Heffernon is named vice president of women's gymnastics". USA Gymnastics. February 4, 2019.
- 1 2 "USA Gymnastics Women's Program Office Staff" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
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