Florida Gymnasts Win Team Silver at World Championships

Two University of Florida gymnasts just helped Team USA secure its place at the 2028 Olympics with a silver medal finish at the World Championships in Rotterdam.

Florida junior Skye Blakely and incoming freshman Dulcy Caylor joined three teammates to score 165.531 points, finishing just 0.233 points behind China's first gold medal team since 2006. Japan rounded out the podium with bronze.

Blakely shined on vault and uneven bars, posting the second-highest vault score of the entire team final at 14.300 and tying for third on bars with 14.400. She also contributed a solid 13.266 on balance beam, proving her versatility across three events.

Caylor's story adds an extra dose of inspiration to the win. Originally selected as the traveling replacement athlete, she stepped into the competition lineup after teammate Hezly Rivera withdrew for medical reasons. The incoming Gator delivered when it counted, scoring 13.600 on floor exercise for the third-highest mark of the day.

For Blakely, this silver adds to an already impressive medal collection. She previously helped Team USA win gold at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, making this her third consecutive Worlds podium finish.

The Ripple Effect

The silver medal does more than add hardware to the trophy case. It automatically qualifies the United States for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, giving American gymnasts a guaranteed spot to compete on home soil.

Blakely isn't done yet in Rotterdam. She qualified second in the all-around final and earned spots in three other individual event finals: vault (fifth), uneven bars (eighth), and balance beam (sixth). Over the next three days, she'll have four chances to add more medals to Team USA's haul.

The competition continues Friday with the all-around final, followed by apparatus finals through Sunday. Each event streams live on Peacock, giving fans a chance to watch these Gators represent their country at the highest level of artistic gymnastics.

Two college athletes stepped onto the world stage and delivered under pressure, bringing home a medal and an Olympic berth for their country.