2026 U.S. Gymnastics Championships: Men's World Team Race
The men's field for the 2026 U.S. Gymnastics Championships was announced on July 21. Held Aug 6-10 in Phoenix, it doubles as a Worlds selection meet for Rotterdam. A gymnast's-eye D-score breakdown of Nedoroscik, Hong, Richard and Malone.
*This article reflects information as of July 22, 2026. On July 21, USA Gymnastics released the list of qualifiers for the 2026 U.S. Gymnastics Championships. The meet runs August 6-10 in Phoenix, Arizona, and functions as a key selection
event for the men's team heading to the World Championships in Rotterdam this October. As a former gymnast and the developer of a D-score app, I break down the announced men's field through the lens of difficulty (D-score) and technique.
Overview and the Men's Field
Venue, dates and what is at stake
The 2026 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships take place at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. According to Gymnastics Now, roughly 150 senior and junior athletes qualified, with about 54 senior men and 39 junior men on the men's side. USA Gymnastics states that the 2026-27 senior and junior national teams will be named after the competition.
This is not just a domestic title meet. It crowns all-around and event champions while serving as a major data point for selecting the men's team for the 2026 World Championships in Rotterdam.
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Key qualified men
The field includes Paris Olympic pommel horse bronze medalist Stephen Nedoroscik, power all-arounder Asher Hong, 2023 Worlds all-around bronze medalist Frederick Richard, high bar and parallel bars sp
ecialist Brody Malone, and Shane Wiskus, who won the all-around at the National Qualifier. Veteran Donnell Whittenburg qualified but is reported out with an injury.
Gymnast | Type | Strength |
|---|---|---|
Stephen Nedoroscik | Event specialist | Pommel horse (Paris bronze) |
Asher Hong | All-arounder | Vault, rings, floor (power) |
Frederick Richard | All-arounder | All-around, high bar |
Brody Malone | All-arounder | High bar, parallel bars |
Shane Wiskus | All-arounder | Consistent all-around |
The Road to Rotterdam
What the meet decides
The U.S. Champ
ionships determine several things at once:
- All-around and event national champions
- The 2026-27 senior and junior national teams
- Major selection data for the men's Worlds team in Rotterdam
The five-man team puzzle
A Worlds team fields five gymnasts, and qualification uses a 5-4-3 format (four compete per apparatus, top three scores count; see this overview of team counting formats). Because only the top scores count, maximizing the team total means optimizing which high-D-score gymnasts fill the five spots. See our primer on the Code of Points for how D-score and E-score work.
D-Score and Technical Analysis
Nedoroscik on pommel horse
At the June National Qualifier, Nedoroscik posted 14.300 on pommel horse with a very clean 9.200 execution, though at a lower difficulty than his Olympic final. The championships will show how much difficulty he restores as he targets LA 2028. See our pommel horse circle-work explainer.
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Asher Hong's power events
Hong is a power all-arounder who scores high D on vault, rings and floor. On vault he favors double-flipping Tsukahara and Yurchenko variants. See our comparison of Yurchenko and Tsukahara families. A dedicated high-D vault/rings option is invaluable in team scoring.
Richard and Malone's all-around depth
Richard, the 2023 Worlds all-around bronze medalist, combines six-event consistency with strong high bar release skills, while Malone brings high difficulty on high bar and parallel bars as he returns from injury. Outlets like The Gymternet are watching whether these all-arounders can anchor the counting scores.
Implications for Japan
The team battle in Rotterdam
The 2026 Worlds run October 17-25 at Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam, with the men's team final on October 20. Japan has already named its five-man squad (see our Japan D-score outlook) and will contest team medals alongside the U.S. and China.
Apparatus to watch
The U.S. is assembling high-D options across events: Hong on vault and rings, Nedoroscik on pommel horse, Richard and Malone on high bar. Pommel horse in particular is where Japan can leak points, so a U.S. specialist could create margin in the 5-4-3 qualification.
Summary
- The 2026 U.S. Championships men's field was announced July 21; the meet runs Aug 6-10 in Phoenix.
- It names national champions and teams and is a major Worlds selection meet for Rotterdam.
- Nedoroscik, Hong, Richard and Malone all offer high D-score value in different ways.
- The 5-4-3 team format rewards optimizing high-D gymnasts across the five spots.
- A U.S. pommel specialist is a warning sign for Japan in the team race.
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