Anchored by two-time world champion Simone Biles on vault, the Americans took an early lead then watched everyone else fall to the wayside. The title is the fifth world crown for the U.S., all of them coming after Martha Karolyi took over as national team coordinator in late 2000. With 10 months to go until Rio, it appears the gap between the Americans and the rest of the world has become more of a canyon. The Americans rolled easily last fall then added reigning Olympic champion Gabby Douglas and three-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman to an already deep roster. The team breezed through qualifying, posting the top score by more than five points. It was just as overwhelming in the finals. Led by Maggie Nichols, the only American to compete in all four events, the U.S. put up the top score on vault, beam and floor while the other eight teams were forced to settle for silver.

* The first voice after the competition came from Simone BILES (USA):

 

CHINA slogged through qualifying over the weekend but was much better in the finals. Pretty on bars, the Chinese's only real miscue came on beam, where Wang Yan slipped and ended any real threat to make a run at the top of the podium. After problems on their best events in the qualification round earlier this week, the Chinese remained consistent in the final to secure the silver medal for the second straight year. Improved work on Vault and Floor Exercise, especially from newcomers Wang Yan and Mao Yi, helped make the difference for the young team on their traditionally weak apparatus. Hit Beam routines from Wang, Shang Chunsong and Fan Yilin also aided their cause, and the team's usual excellence on Uneven Bars helped them seal the silver.

Floor exercise turned out to be a coronation, just like it was three years ago at the 2012 Olympics. The only drama came for the bottom of the podium, where the host BRITS overcame the Russians on the final rotation to win a team medal for the first time ever at a world championship!
After a golden performance in the same arena at the Commonwealth Games in 2014, Great Britain's Becky Downie, Elissa Downie, Amy Tinkler, Claudia Fragapane and Kelly Simm wrote more history for themselves in the SSE Hydro Tuesday. In spite of beginning their competition with a fall from Ellie Downie on Uneven Bars, the team never gave up. Downie herself guaranteed the bronze with a smooth Vault, which she landed like a snowflake, on Britain's last event. Tinkler, who turns 16 years old today, could not have asked for a better gift.
The arena exploded when Ellie Downie drilled her vault and Britain hopped over Russia on the massive scoreboard.
It was a significant step for a program that has steadily built itself over the last decade.

Teams - Victory Ceremony

The RUSSIANS were even worse! Paired to compete alongside the Americans after finishing second in qualifying, they looked ready to put up a fight when they trailed by less than a point after vault, an event the U.S. typically uses to grab a big lead.
Viktoria Komova, Daria Spiridonova, Maria Paseka, Kseniia Afanaseva, Seda Tutkhalian and Maria Kharenkova had expected to contend for the podium but finished off it for the first time since 2007. After 2012 Olympic All-around silver medallist Viktoria Komova fell from the Uneven Bars, the Russian machine began to break down. The team cracked most on Balance Beam, where Tutkhalian, the 2014 Youth Olympic champion, Kharenkova and Komova all fell. Even Ksenia Afanaseva, the 2011 World Champion on Floor, could not help a few shuffles on her landings.