Dulcy Caylor is headed to her first World Championships.
The 17-year-old clinched a spot on the American team for next month's World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, winning the all-around competition Tuesday at USA Gymnastics' women's team selection camp. The other three members of the team will be named after the completion of the selection camp later this week.
Hitting all four of her routines, Caylor scored a career-high 55.25, beating out gymnasts with much more world experience on their resumes, including world medalists and Olympic alternates Leanne Wong and Joscelyn Roberson.
Caylor's best finish so far this year came with a bronze on balance beam at U.S. championships in August. She finished eighth in the all-around during that meet -- behind Wong, Roberson, Ashlee Sullivan, Simone Rose, Jayla Hang and Gabrielle Hardie.
Among the top contenders to round out the rest of the team is 22-year-old Wong, the all-around silver medalist at August's U.S. championships, the 2021 world championships and a member of the world title teams in both 2022 and 2023. Roberson, 19, took all-around bronze at the U.S. championships and was also part of the 2023 world championship squad.
On Tuesday, Wong finished second in the All-Around with Roberson in third, followed by Sullivan, Hang and Rose.
Skye Blakely, a 20-year-old 2022 and 2023 world medalist, shared top honors on the uneven bars and took second in the balance beam at U.S. championships, but fell on beam during the first day of selection camp.
Two strong contenders, Hezly Rivera and Claire Pease, are out of the mix with ankle injuries. Rivera, the only member of the 2024 Olympic gold-medal squad in the mix and the all-around champion at U.S. championships, and Pease, who won the U.S. Classic in July, both withdrew last week.
Also not competing are the main stars of Team USA's run to gold last summer in Paris. Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey are all taking time off after the Olympics, with Biles, Lee and Chiles all uncertain about whether they'll return to try for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
That makes this selection, and next month's world championships, a potential glimpse into the future of the American team, which has won three of the last four Olympic gold medals and finished on the podium every edition since 1992.
The American men's team was set after the U.S. championships: Brandon Dang, Asher Hong, Patty Hoopes, Brody Malone, Kameron Nelson and Donnell Whittenburg.
Gymnastics' world championships are held in all non-Olympic years, but the first edition after an Olympics -- like next month's -- does not feature a team event. That can affect selection preferences, as individual all-around talent and event specialists take priority.