ROTTERDAM, Netherlands — Claire Pease is peaking at the right time.
Pease was the MVP as the U.S. women won silver and qualified for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles at the world gymnastics championships Wednesday, Oct. 21. She did all four events, delivering one hit after another, and her eye-popping score of 56.099 puts her squarely in the mix of medal contenders for the all-around on Friday, Oct. 23.
"That’s a great score," Pease acknowledged, while her teammates oohed and aahed at the number. "I was taking it event by event, thinking about it just routine by routine. Not thinking too much about my all-around score because it is a team competition. But it is a great accomplishment. I’m really happy about it."
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Why Claire Pease is a medal threat in the gymnastics worlds all-around
This has been a breakout season for Pease. She led the U.S. women to the team title at the Pan American Championships and then won the all-around. She was a close second to Hezly Rivera at the U.S. championships.
In the last month, however, she's taken it to another level. She locked her spot on the world team by winning the all-around on the first day of the selection camp, posting the highest scores on vault and floor exercise and the second-highest on balance beam.
Pease had the seventh-highest scoring in qualifying, hurt by some major wobbles on balance beam. But in the team final, she was rock solid.
Claire Pease delivered when the US women needed her most
After Dulcy Caylor fell on her beam dismount, the first U.S. miss in seven routines, Pease turned and said something to her teammates as she waited on the podium to compete.
"I was letting them know I got this," Pease said.
Her beam routine was efficient and clean, and her 13.6 would be the top U.S. score on the event. She followed it with a 13.933 on floor that was the highest score of the night on the event and a full six-tenths better than what she'd gotten in qualifying.
What Claire Pease needs in the gymnastics worlds all-around final
Though the Americans would come up short against Chinese, ending their 15-year winning streak at the world championships, Pease did her job.
And put everyone on notice for the all-around final.
"I work beside her every single day in the gym and I see her work so hard," said Rivera, who trains with Pease. "She’s doing so well. I’m just so proud of her. She deserves every bit of this."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Claire Pease showed why she's a dark horse for gymnastics worlds all-around gold
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