The August Briefing
In this issue:
- Australia wins Commonwealth Games team gold
- Ellie Black claims a second Commonwealth all-around title
- Four nations split the Commonwealth apparatus titles
- Reese Esponda wins her first senior elite all-around title
- Jade Carey and Skye Blakely lead U.S. Classic event winners
- Romania names its European Championships team
Australia Wins Commonwealth Games Team Gold
Australia won the women's artistic gymnastics team title at the Commonwealth Games with a 158.400, moving up from silver at Birmingham 2022. Georgia Godwin, Breanna Scott, Kate McDonald, Ruby Pass and Emily Whitehead finished 1.100 ahead of Canada (157.300), while England secured bronze (154.300). McDonald produced the top uneven bars score of the team competition, and Australia carried its depth into the all-around and apparatus finals.
Ellie Black Claims Second Commonwealth All-Around Title
Four-time Olympian Ellie Black won the Commonwealth Games all-around final with a 53.050, eight years after capturing the title at Gold Coast 2018. Black became the first women's gymnast to win two Commonwealth all-around titles. Australia's Breanna Scott earned silver with a 52.900, and Canada's Lia-Monica Fontaine took bronze with a 52.800. The podium placed an established international leader alongside two rising contenders entering the European and World Championships phase of the season.
Four Nations Split Commonwealth Apparatus Gold
The Commonwealth Games women's apparatus titles were divided among four countries. Canada's Lia-Monica Fontaine won vault with a 14.000 average, adding gold to her team silver and all-around bronze. Australia's Kate McDonald won uneven bars with a 14.333, the only 14-plus score in the final. Breanna Scott added balance beam gold for Australia, while Wales' Ruby Evans closed the gymnastics competition with floor gold. The results gave Australia three women's artistic titles across team and apparatus competition, while Canada and Wales each produced individual champions.
Reese Esponda Wins First Senior Elite All-Around Title
Reese Esponda won the U.S. Classic all-around title with a 54.900, the first senior elite all-around victory of her career. The 17-year-old also won floor with a 13.950, placed third on balance beam and posted the meet's second-highest single vault score. Three-time Olympic medalist Jade Carey finished second in the all-around with a 54.050, while Zoey Molomo took third at 53.900. The result positioned Esponda among the leading contenders entering the U.S. Championships in Phoenix.
Carey and Blakely Lead U.S. Classic Event Winners
Jade Carey won the U.S. Classic vault title with a 14.275 average as she continued rebuilding toward the national and international season. Skye Blakely won both events she contested, scoring 14.100 on uneven bars and 14.250 on balance beam, while all-around champion Reese Esponda took floor. Blakely also delivered the meet-high 6.2 difficulty score, and Izzy Stassi recorded the top 9.400 execution score. The competition provided the final major qualification checkpoint ahead of the August 6-9 U.S. Championships.
Romania Names European Championships Team
Alexia Blănaru produced the strongest four-event total at Romania's second European Championships selection meet, winning the all-around with a 51.416 after also recording the top difficulty mark at the June selection meet in Deva. Sabrina Maneca-Voinea competed three events in Ploiești and posted the meet's highest balance beam and floor totals, including a 6.2 beam D score and a 13.967 on floor. Romania selected Blănaru, Daria Tănasă, Maneca-Voinea, Ariana Cotu and Adelina Ionescu for the European Championships.
Last updated: July 28, 2026