Claire Pease Wins, Olympic Veterans Return At 2025 U.S. Classic

Forbes

4 days ago

Claire Pease (WOGA), silver medal winner Simone Rose (Pacific Reign), and bronze medal winner ... More Joscelyn Roberson (University of Arkansas) pose during the medal ceremony of the 2025 U.S. Classic senior session held in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
First-year senior elite Claire Pease came out on top at the 2025 U.S. Classic in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The 16-year-old athlete confidently hit all four routines, posting a formidable 54.650 to edge out a field of Olympic and World Champions.
The event saw a night of highly anticipated returns for Olympic veterans, accentuated by a surprise appearance from Simone Biles and her husband, Jonathan Owens, a Chicago Bears safety.
Olympic Trials finalist Simone Rose clinched all-around silver, followed by Arkansas Gymnastics star and Olympic alternate Joscelyn Roberson in bronze medal position.
On the individual events, Claire Pease claimed the win on vault and Myli Lew the win on bars. Winter Cup Champion Ashlee Sullivan clinched the title on balance beam while Reese Esponda tumbled to gold on floor.
The event also marked the final qualifying opportunity for athletes hoping to compete at August's U.S. Championships in New Orleans.
Learn how the action unfolded in Hoffman Estates, Illinois:
Rotation One:
The first rotation saw impressive hits multiply across the buzzing arena.
Olympic Trials finalist Simone Rose opened the meet with a stuck Yurchenko 1.5 vault, suitable for a second-place ranking after one.
Minutes later, 2024 Olympic alternate Joscelyn Roberson was near faultless on her acrobatic skills, sticking her dismount to a massive roar from the NOW Arena crowd.
On bars, Olympic Team Champion Hezly Rivera fought through her routine, but ultimately came up short on her dismount, flying forward off the mat. Rivera received a pep talk from coaches Anna and Valeri Liukin on the sidelines, opting to continue with the competition despite the hard fall.
Rivera's club teammate Claire Pease also flew forward on her dismount, but was nearly flawless on the bars. With a strong 13.700 score, the 2024 Junior National Champion secured a third-place ranking after one.
2025 Winter Cup Champion Ashlee Sullivan started her night on beam, where she continued her stellar elite season with a hot start. Sullivan nailed her standing arabian for a 13.550 and an event title.
In her only routine of the day, Myli Liu nailed her difficult yet clean bar routine to post a 14.050 and claim an early lead.
After One: 1. Myli Lew, 2. Simone Rose 3. Claire Pease
Rotation Two:
World Champion and former Florida Gator Leanne Wong secured a strong start on bars in rotation two. Wong hit her routine without major error, returning to the elite stage with a beaming smile and a near-stuck double layout.
Roberson then went to floor, an event where she is widely regarded for her power.
The Arkansas gymnast brought massive difficulty, hitting her Moors, one of the most difficult skills on women's floor exercise. However, Roberson posted only a 12.800 due to competing the same tumbling pass twice. Judges only credit a standalone skill once per routine.
2025 Pan American All-Around Champion Jayla Hang opted to compete in just two events in Chicago and started her night on bars. Hang had been struggling with her release moves in training, and fell again tonight under the lights.
Rivera's struggles carried from bars to the balance beam. The Olympic gold medalist came off the beam on her acrobatic series to post another sub-13 score. Meanwhile, Pease was elegant and clean for a 13.400, good to maintain a top-three spot.
Sullivan seemed keen on continuing her hot start, sticking her opening tumbling run to a large applause. However, the 18-year-old lost her footing on her final pass, resulting in a fall forward to close the routine.
Simone Rose maintained her momentum in rotation two, hitting her bars routine and complex dismount to claim the lead moving into rotation three.
After two hit routines to start the meet and her best event still to go, UCLA commit Nola Matthews surged into the top three.
After Two: 1. Simone Rose 2. Claire Pease 3. Nola Matthews
Rotation Three:
Roberson opened the second half of the meet with a hit vault, good for a strong 13.700. A former U.S. National Champion on the event, Roberson did not bring her full difficulty to Chicago, opting to only compete one vault instead of her usual two.
After a tough start to her competition, Rivera found redemption on floor exercise. Though she incurred two out-of-bounds deductions, the 17-year-old performed beautifully for a 13.850, the day's second-best score.
While Rivera competed on the floor, Ashlee Sullivan delivered NOW Arena's second stuck Yurchenko 1.5 of the night, followed by a hit Yurchenko double full from World Champions Center's Dulcy Caylor.
Needing a hit beam routine to remain in medal position, Matthews fought for her triple series to open but ultimately came off the apparatus on a jump combination. Just like that, the standings would change again.
Next up, Pease delivered on the floor despite struggling during warmups, helping maintain a top-three position. While Pease finished her floor routine, Simone Rose—the current leader—stepped up to the balance beam. The 17-year-old nailed her routine to maintain a lead heading into the final rotation.
Leanne Wong closed the rotation on beam, her second and final routine of the night. The veteran and four-time World medalist exuded confidence on the apparatus, flowing through her combinations and sticking her dismount for a 13.300.
After Three: 1. Simone Rose 2. Claire Pease 3(tie). Ashlee Sullivan and Joscelyn Roberson
Rotation Four:
Heading into the final rotation, Rose led Pease by just under half a point. Pease would need her best on vault to challenge, and the budding star delivered.
In arguably her best vault of her young career, Pease took a tiny hop on her difficult Yurchenko double full, securing a huge 14.050 – the highest vault score of the night. As the only athlete to compete two vaults, Pease was the de-facto winner on the event.
The pressure was on for the next athlete: Simone Rose. As she had already tonight, Rose responded to the occasion, hitting her floor routine for a 13.300. It would not be enough for gold, but handily good enough for the podium.
Last up, Joscelyn Roberson on bars. With the entirety of the U.S. National Team cheering her on, Roberson needed a hit routine to fight her way onto the podium. In typical Roberson style, she did just that, hitting her dismount for a strong 13.400. The bronze medal was hers.
After Three: 1. Claire Pease 2. Simone Rose 3. Joscelyn Roberson
Earlier This Weekend
Saturday's action was far from the only notable gymnastics news this weekend. On Friday, star rookie gymnast Lavi Crain won the junior division with a huge 54.450 in the all-around. Crain's total would have won silver in the senior division.
In Saturday's first session, four athletes clinched all-around qualifying berths to the U.S. Championships earlier today. Brooke Pierson, Reese Esponda, Ally Damelio, and Harlow Buddendeck posted the necessary 52.000 or higher.
Esponda impressed with a 13.950 on the floor in her return from injury—her score ultimately claimed gold after two senior sessions.
On bars, Ally Damelio drew gasps from the audience while completing the most difficult bars skill of the competition, the 'Seitz.' Named after German gymnast Elisabeth Seitz, the skill adds an extra twist to the skill typically competed by elite gymnasts.
Reese Esponda (World Champions)
What's Next In Elite Gymnastics
The gymnasts will have a few weeks of training before August's U.S. Championships. Scheduled for August 7-10 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, the event will determine the U.S. National Team.
Those named to the U.S. National team will be eligible for the 2025 World Championship team selection. The 2025 World Championships will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, from October 19 to 25. Team USA looks to fill a team of four athletes to compete for individual medals.