GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast

Hezly Rivera is out, Dulcy Caylor is in, and Skye Blakely had the day of her life. Our sleep-deprived reactions from inside Rotterdam Ahoy after day one of women's qualification at the 2026 World Championships: Team USA leads with no falls, Italy is one floor hit from something special, Japan counted three misses, and Mexico beat Belgium and Romania. Plus robot judging downgrades Carlos Yulo's vault, Manila Esposito's perfect-execution beam and Sabrina Voinea's raven.
This is the free 26-minute preview. The full 74-minute show is for Club Gym Nerd members. That's 48 more minutes, nearly two-thirds of the show, including Team USA event by event, the men's qualification recap, the Gymnasts for Change boat party and your letters. Join Club Gym Nerd to hear it all. Want to try it first? The Worlds Coverage Bundle is 3 months of Club Gym Nerd for $14.99, no auto-renewal.
GymCastic Live in Rotterdam on October 24 with Bart Deurloo and Eythora Thorsdottir is sold out in person, but virtual tickets are still available.
This episode is presented by Sand and Sea Luxury Travel Advisors. Plan your dream trip at go.sandandsea.travel/gcnotes and use code GYMCASTICWORLDS.
Chapters
00:00 Welcome to Rotterdam
01:17 Breaking news: Hezly Rivera withdraws, Dulcy Caylor in
03:07 Jade Carey and the "stay-at-home alternate"
05:34 Hezly's blanket
07:44 Robot judging: Carlos Yulo's vault downgrade and Frederick Richard's floor deduction
11:12 Team USA leads after day one
13:44 Skye Blakely leads the all-around
15:10 Claire Pease and the Cheng
16:36 Mexico beats Belgium and Romania
19:22 Opportunities for comedy: Sabrina Voinea's raven
21:30 Scott Bregman's Gymnastipedia
22:38 Manila Esposito's beam and Marta Pihan-Kulesza
24:28 Join Club Gym Nerd for the rest
25:32 Club preview: Cécile Landi's story
Links
Episode page
2026 World Championships Headquarters
Worlds Coverage Bundle: 3 months of Club Gym Nerd for $14.99
Rotterdam Worlds Roster Tracker

Day two of women's podium training at the 2026 World Championships in Rotterdam. Kaylia Nemour had a mixed day on bars and vault, Russia brought a full team without Angelina Melnikova and still looked good, and the qualification lists have turned into chaos. Plus Rebeca Andrade's vault, the judges who coach from the sidelines, and why Fact Checker is in the hospital.
This is the free 21-minute preview. The full 47-minute show is for Club Gym Nerd members. That's 26 more minutes, more than half the show, including our full conversation with Aliya Mustafina and the live Club Q&A. Join Club Gym Nerd to hear it all. Want to try it first? The Worlds Coverage Bundle is 3 months of Club Gym Nerd for $14.99, no auto-renewal.
Get tickets for GymCastic Live in Rotterdam on October 24 with Bart Deurloo and Eythora Thorsdottir.
This episode is presented by Sand and Sea Luxury Travel Advisors. Plan your dream trip at go.sandandsea.travel/gcnotes and use code GYMCASTICWORLDS.
Chapters
00:00 Welcome to podium training, day two
01:07 Rebeca Andrade on vault
02:18 Watching the judges up close
04:58 A Tim Gunn for every event
05:29 Will Andrade's Lopez get layout credit?
06:39 Kaylia Nemour: bars, beam and vault
09:34 GymCastic Live in Rotterdam with Bart Deurloo and Eythora Thorsdottir
10:58 Russia's B team
13:25 The qualification and registration chaos
16:51 The French team vs. the beam sticker
18:11 Aliya Mustafina, and our conversation continues for Club members
20:03 Why Fact Checker is in the hospital
Links
Episode page
2026 World Championships Headquarters
Worlds Coverage Bundle: 3 months of Club Gym Nerd for $14.99
Rotterdam Worlds Roster Tracker

Our first daily show from inside Rotterdam Ahoy at the 2026 World Championships. Three Russian women, including Angelina Melnikova, were refused visas days before the meet. Reese Esponda's coach tells us why she had to change her floor routine at the last minute, and we explain how robot judging is deciding difficulty here in Rotterdam.
This is the free 22-minute preview. The full 62-minute show is for Club Gym Nerd members. That's 40 more minutes, nearly two-thirds of the show, including Hezly Rivera's ankle and the alternate rules, our behind-the-scenes stories and the rest of podium training. Join Club Gym Nerd to hear it all. Want to try it first? The Worlds Coverage Bundle is 3 months of Club Gym Nerd for $14.99, no auto-renewal.
Congratulations to our raffle winners, and thank you to everyone who supported our Worlds fundraiser. Get tickets for GymCastic Live in Rotterdam on October 24 with Bart Deurloo and Eythora Thorsdottir.
This episode is presented by Sand and Sea Luxury Travel Advisors. Plan your dream trip at go.sandandsea.travel/gcnotes and use code GYMCASTICWORLDS.
Chapters
00:00 Welcome to Rotterdam
01:20 Breaking news: Russia's visa drama
04:46 GymCastic Live in Rotterdam with Bart Deurloo and Eythora Thorsdottir
06:30 Reese Esponda's floor change: our interview with her coach
10:56 Explainer: robot judges, Fujitsu and the barani
16:50 Who gets told what, and when
19:45 Our conversation continues for Club members
20:35 Raffle winners
Links
Episode page
2026 World Championships Headquarters
Worlds Coverage Bundle: 3 months of Club Gym Nerd for $14.99
Rotterdam Worlds Roster Tracker

Part two of our Rotterdam World Championships preview, subdivisions 6 through 10. We're living in the age of Rebeca Andrade and Angelina Melnikova, so what history is on the line for two of the most decorated gymnasts ever? We size up breakout star Elena Colas and France, Great Britain on the team-final bubble, a veteran Netherlands team on home soil, Russia (competing as AIN), Canada, Spain and Brazil, then ask whether China has the vaults to go with its beam and bars. Plus a Man Break with Carlos Yulo, Casimir Schmidt and reports that Zhang Boheng is off China's roster, and our vault and beam final previews.
Club Gym Nerd members get every episode ad-free, live Q&A after every day of Worlds and hours of extra Rotterdam podcasts. Join Club Gym Nerd. Want a taste first? The Worlds Bundle: three months of Club Gym Nerd, one payment, no auto-renewal.
Our Worlds coverage is brought to you by Sand & Sea Travel. Use code GYMCASTICWORLDS.
Live shows
Rotterdam, Saturday October 24 after event finals, with Bart Deurloo and Eythora Thorsdottir
New York City, Friday December 4, with Katelyn Ohashi
Streaming and in-person tickets at gymcastic.com
Worlds tools
2026 World Championship Headquarters: the schedule in your time zone and the 2026 leaderboard
Worlds Roster Tracker
Elite Score Explorer
Chapters
00:00 Welcome + Sand & Sea Travel
01:15 Worlds schedule and what's on the line
02:24 The age of Andrade and Melnikova
05:23 Subdivision 6: France and Malaysia
11:35 Live shows: Rotterdam and NYC with Katelyn Ohashi
12:06 Subdivision 7: Great Britain and the Netherlands
20:00 Man Break: the men's all-around
27:50 Carlos Yulo, Casimir Schmidt and an upside-down iron cross
33:06 Updates: Worlds HQ leaderboard and the Worlds Bundle
35:47 Subdivision 8: Russia (AIN), Canada and Spain
43:43 Subdivision 9: Brazil and Switzerland
48:18 Vault preview
51:13 Subdivision 10: China and South Korea
1:00:52 Beam preview
1:03:33 See you in Rotterdam
Our daily Rotterdam podcasts start October 15 after women's podium training.

SafeSport has made Artur Akopyan, McKayla Maroney's former coach, permanently ineligible and suspended Galina Marinova for a year. Florida has removed Skylar Draser, Ly Bui and Lily Bruce from its roster. And days before Worlds, Russia still doesn't have its visas. Jessica and Spencer break it all down as they pack for Rotterdam.
This teaser is just the beginning. The full episode continues for Club Gym Nerd members with a recruiting-trip story, your questions on Danie Ferris and the Worlds entry list, U.S. vault dominance, the biomechanics of the Cheng, Kaylia Nemour and France, and more. Join Club Gym Nerd, or try the Worlds Coverage Bundle: three months of daily coverage from Rotterdam, no auto-renewal.
GymCastic Live: virtual tickets are on sale for Rotterdam with Bart Deurloo and Eythora Thorsdottir and New York City with Katelyn Ohashi.
Brought to you by Sand and Sea Travel. Use code GYMCASTICWORLDS.
Everything you need for Worlds is at our 2026 World Championships Headquarters and Worlds Roster Tracker.
Chapters
00:00 Welcome to Behind the Scenes
02:56 Breaking: SafeSport sanctions Artur Akopyan and Galina Marinova
04:03 Cecile Landi to Worlds with Mexico; Gymnasts for Change in Rotterdam
05:01 Russia still waiting on Worlds visas
08:19 GymCastic Live in Rotterdam and New York City
08:53 Worlds withdrawals, including Jennifer Williams
11:12 Florida removes three gymnasts