Skye Blakely and Claire Pease enter the final day of the 2026 U.S. Gymnastics Championships tied atop the women's all-around standings, each posting 55.6 points after Friday's opening session in Phoenix.
The deadlock is a rarity at this level. The last time two women shared the lead entering the final day of a U.S. Championships all-around race was 2004, when Carly Patterson and Courtney Kupets split the title. Blakely, a University of Florida junior, is competing in her first elite all-around field in two years after rupturing her right Achilles tendon two days before the 2024 Olympic Trials. Pease, who finished 10th at last year's nationals after winning the U.S. Classic warm-up meet, has quietly built into one of the field's steadiest all-around threats this summer.
Sitting two tenths back in third is Charleigh Bullock, a 16-year-old making her senior national debut, who has emerged as one of the meet's breakout stories alongside the co-leaders. According to USA Gymnastics, the junior women's all-around lead after night one went to VanGrinsven, underscoring the depth on display across both age divisions at the Xfinity-sponsored championships.
Sunday's final round at Footprint Center will decide the senior women's national all-around champion, with results expected to factor into early discussions about the U.S. national team roster later this year. Coverage from NBC Sports noted both leaders are chasing their first national all-around titles, adding extra weight to an already tight scoreboard.
Neither gymnast has previously won the U.S. all-around crown, guaranteeing a first-time champion regardless of Sunday's outcome. Blakely's comeback from injury and Pease's rise from a mid-pack finisher to co-leader have given the meet an underdog storyline that fans and officials are watching closely heading into the final rotation.