U.S. Gymnastics championships in Phoenix

The 2026 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships begin Thursday, August 6, in Phoenix, with Hezly Rivera returning as the reigning women’s all-around champion and Frederick Richard entering as the leading men’s contender. Olympics.com and USA Gymnastics listed Jade Carey, Skye Blakely and Stephen Nedoroscik among the headline names for the four-day meet at Mortgage Matchup Center in downtown Phoenix. USA Gymnastics said more than 100 of the country’s top men’s and women’s artistic gymnasts are competing from August 6-9. The meet is one of the federation’s marquee domestic events and feeds into national-team and world-championship selection later this year. ### Who are the biggest names in Phoenix? Hezly Rivera, Jade Carey, Skye Blakely and Frederick Richard are the central names on the start lists published ahead of the meet. Olympics.com said Rivera, the 2024 Olympic team gold medalist, arrives as defending national all-around champion, while Carey — the Phoenix native and two-time Olympic gold medalist — is seeking her first U.S. all-around title. Blakely, the 2024 U.S. all-around runner-up, is also in the field after returning to full all-around competition. (olympics.com) Frederick Richard leads the men’s field with defending champion Asher Hong out because of injury, according to Olympics.com. The same report said Richard, a Paris 2024 team bronze medalist and reigning NCAA champion, is chasing his first senior U.S. title, while Shane Wiskus and pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik are also entered. (olympics.com) ### What is at stake beyond the national titles? USA Gymnastics said the Phoenix championships will help determine spots on the 2026-27 USA Gymnastics National Teams. A March event release also said the meet gives athletes a chance to strengthen their case for the American roster for the 2026 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, scheduled for October 17-25 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (olympics.com) Olympics.com framed Phoenix as an early marker on the path toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. That description comes from Olympics.com, but the immediate competitive stakes are domestic: national titles, rankings and selection leverage heading into the fall international season. ### How big is the field, and where is it being held? USA Gymnastics said more than 100 men’s and women’s artistic gymnasts will compete at Mortgage Matchup Center in downtown Phoenix from August 6-9. (usagym.org) A separate USA Gymnastics release on qualifiers said nearly 150 men’s and women’s artistic athletes had qualified for the championships in July, indicating the broader pool from which the final competition field was drawn. Phoenix has been on the calendar for months. (olympics.com) USA Gymnastics announced single-day tickets in March and single-session tickets in June, both for the same August 6-9 dates and the same venue. ### What should viewers watch on the women’s side? Rivera’s health is one of the main questions entering the meet. Olympics.com reported that she withdrew at the June Pan American Championships after a watered-down vault, and USA Gymnastics later cited a sore hamstring. (usagym.org) Blakely’s return to four-event competition is another storyline. Olympics.com said she will compete all four events in an elite artistic meet for the first time in more than two years after winning uneven bars and balance beam titles at the U.S. (usagym.org) Classic last month. Reese Esponda, the recent U.S. Classic winner, and Claire Pease, the 2026 Pan American all-around champion, were also listed by Olympics.com as names to watch. (olympics.com) ### What else is happening around the meet? USA Gymnastics said it will honor the 1996 U.S. Olympic women’s and men’s artistic teams during the final two days of competition. The federation said the teams will be recognized on Saturday, August 8, and Sunday, August 9, at Mortgage Matchup Center, 30 years after the Atlanta Games. USA Gymnastics and Olympics.com both said schedules, start lists and results are available online. (olympics.com) Competition in Phoenix runs through Sunday, August 9, and the next major international milestone on the calendar is the World Championships in Rotterdam from October 17-25. (olympics.com) (usagym.org)